The two races on the high-speed track in Portland were characterized by strategy, the optimal timing of the so-called attack mode and the search for optimal energy and temperature management. ABT CUPRA showed perfect teamwork in the pits and on the track and kept a cool head in temperatures of around 30 degrees. Nico Müller scored points twice and even led the races on Saturday and Sunday for a while. Lucas di Grassi finished eleventh on Saturday and went on to support his teammate on Sunday. A 5-second penalty for a collision wiped out the points he should have earned for his position on the track.
The event in Portland was the penultimate of the current season: the championships will be decided in three weeks at the two final races in London (20 and 21 July). ABT CUPRA currently ranks ninth in the team standings.
Thomas Biermaier, ABT CEO and Team Principal: “This was a good and important weekend for our team with the highest points score since our return to Formula E at the beginning of last season. The team and the drivers worked really well together and gave everything to achieve a good result – which is exactly how it should be. Now we’re looking forward to London, where the races will be completely different and qualifying will be even more important than in Shanghai or here in Portland. Nico and Lucas have shown several times that they can make it to the duels of qualifying and get on the front rows, and exactly that must be our goal for the final weekend.”
Lucas di Grassi, #11 (grid position P12/P19, race P11/P17): “I’m happy for the team because we’ve taken an important step towards our minimum goal of ninth place in the team standings. For me personally, the performance on both days was good, but there was no visible reward in the terms of points. The fact that we are increasingly able to get into the duel phase in qualifying gives me confidence for the races in London, where grid position is more important than here. With the wild races we are seeing more and more, I would like to see more consistent standards for penalties – that would also make the races easier to understand for the spectators.”
Nico Müller, #51 (grid position P7/P13, race P5/P6): “Those were two very exhausting and wild races here in Portland, in which we scored a lot of points this time – thanks to the whole team in the garage. If everything had gone perfectly, we could have done even better on Sunday. But the fact that we’re a little annoyed about it also shows how we’ve grown this season and moved closer to the midfield. We still have one weekend to go and we will give everything to defend our hard-earned position.”