2024-04-27

Lucas di Grassi narrowly misses out on points at home race

Lucas di Grassi fought to the end for points for ABT CUPRA at the Formula E race in his second home at Monaco, but once again had to settle for a thankless eleventh place. Nevertheless, di Grassi was one of the main protagonists of a turbulent race in front of his family and many friends and partners. Team-mate Nico Muller had to start the race from second last place after a technical issue in qualifying, drove forward with a good strategy, but then had to retire after 23 laps due to a collision through no fault of his own.

The seventh Formula E race in Monaco is already one of the highlights of the season with numerous prominent guests, including Prince Albert, FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem and boxing world and Olympic champion Anthony Joshua. The grandstands against the impressive backdrop of the Principality were packed, and more than 300 international media representatives were accredited.

In just two weeks the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will return to the track: On 11 and 12 May two races will be held at the former Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. Kelvin van der Linde will then compete for ABT CUPRA alongside Lucas di Grassi, as regular driver Nico Müller will be competing in the WEC race in Spa at the same time and has been released by the team.

Thomas Biermaier, ABT CEO and Team Principal: “Lucas and Nico both fought bravely today for the next points for our team and both had a good chance of finishing in the top ten. But today we saw once again how chaotic the races in Monaco can be. Unfortunately, Nico in particular was not spared and had to retire early. This also shows that we need to start further up the grid. In just two weeks’ time, we’ll continue with our home race in Berlin – two races with lots of fans, friends and partners. Points are the clear goal there as well.”

Lucas di Grassi, #11 (grid position P17, race P11): “All in all, we can be proud of our race today – the start was good, the strategy was perfect and we had some good overtakings. Nevertheless, it’s a shame to come away empty-handed with eleventh place for the second race in a row. It’s been a great week here in my second home and I’m grateful for the great support from my family, friends and partners.”

Nico Müller, #51 (grid position P21, race DNF): “After the penalty in qualifying and starting from the back of the grid, it was clear that today would be difficult. Nevertheless, with a good strategy and a very efficient drive, we managed to get up close to the top ten. Unfortunately, I was then taken out of the race by a competitor, so we were not rewarded for our catch up.”