The goal for ABT CUPRA is clear: After the first successes, including the first two grid positions in Berlin or the faultless drive on points course in Monaco, the newly formed team wants to establish itself step by step in the midfield. The debut of the World Championship in Jakarta last year was one of the highlights of the season in terms of atmosphere and fan enthusiasm as well as international media attention.
The 2.370-kilometre circuit is located in the coastal area of Ancol in the northern region of Jakarta. Both races start at 3 p.m. local time (10 a.m. CEST) and run over 36 laps on Saturday and 38 laps on Sunday. A list of all broadcasters is available at fiaformulae.com.
The race weekend in Jakarta is the finale of the ABT Motorsport Weeks: On five consecutive weekends, the team was in action at Formula E, Extreme E, DTM and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. After the appearance in Jakarta, there will at least be two free weekends until the second round of the DTM season at Zandvoort in the Netherlands.
Nico Müller: “Giving everything for the next steps”
“I’ve never been to Indonesia before and I’m looking forward to getting to know a new country, a new culture and of course a new racetrack,” says Nico Müller. “The circuit in Jakarta looks very fluid, seems to have a good rhythm and also some overtaking opportunities. As far as the temperatures are concerned, we’re sure to work up quite a sweat.” It’s difficult to set an exact target in view of all the challenges this season. But for Nico Müller one thing is clear: “We’ll give everything to make another step forward on this double-header weekend.”
Robin Frijns: “An incredible place”
Robin Frijns already competed in Jakarta in the 2022 Formula E season. “Jakarta is an incredible place. Last year we had temperatures of over 40 degrees and enormous humidity. Maybe it’s a bit comparable to the race in India, also in terms of the challenges for the technology,” says the Dutchman. “Our team and our partners have worked on many details since the last race in Monaco. I hope and I also strongly believe that we can race for points in Jakarta. Even if our steps are small at the moment, they are going in the right direction.”
Thomas Biermaier: “Continuing to go our way in a focused manner”
Three weeks have passed since the last Formula E race in Monaco – too much for the mechanics and engineers. “The whole team can hardly wait to finally get back on the track,” says ABT CEO and Team Principal Thomas Biermaier. “We drove into the points in Berlin, we were on the way to the points in Monaco – we are continuing this path with concentration. We have heard that this event will be quite a challenge for man and material. All the more reason for us to look forward to presenting our brand to the world at this venue as well.”