Formula E driver Lucas Di Grassi has clarified that he is not actually retiring from the series but is beginning a new chapter in his motorsport career, contributing more from outside the electric race car. The Lola Yamaha ABT driver will conclude his career as a Formula E racer at the end of this season. Di Grassi played a pivotal role in introducing Formula E in 2014 and is now competing in his 12th and final season.
Lucas Di Grassi Wants to Add Value to Formula E from Outside the Car
Lucas Di Grassi was instrumental in testing Formula E cars and helping establish the championship. The Lola Yamaha ABT driver has witnessed the growth of the electric racing series across four generations and feels proud of how far it has come. Sharing his thoughts after his retirement announcement, Di Grassi told FormulaE.com, "I'm very proud as I helped to build the business up. So being there from day one beside Alejandro and putting this business together, now employing hundreds of people directly and indirectly, 20 drivers or more including the reserve drivers, and creating such a huge spectacle worldwide while pushing the technology forward, I'm very proud of where Formula E has grown as a business and where I bet my career; it was a good bet."
Dropping a major hint that he will continue to be involved in Formula E after this season, he added, "I think there are a lot of opportunities there, and I now feel that I could add more value outside the car than inside the car. This is not a retirement announcement by any means, it's just the close of one chapter and the beginning of another, which I'm already actively working on to make this transition as smooth as possible."
Lucas Di Grassi Looks Back at His Formula E Journey
Lucas Di Grassi won the very first Formula E race in Beijing in 2014 and secured his most recent podium finish last year. He is currently near the bottom of the Drivers' Standings, as Lola Yamaha ABT is yet to catch up with the competition. Di Grassi, who won the Formula E World Championship in the 2016-17 season, remains proud of everything he has achieved. "I have two different views of Formula E - one as a competitor, where I had a lot of success, a lot of ups and downs, and a lot of emotions. I fought the best drivers in the world for more than a decade, I've been to every single Formula E race so far, and so I'm very proud of this side," he said.
Di Grassi will participate in nine more Formula E races this season before the calendar concludes in August.
