DI GRASSI ANSIOUS BY ROME: “EXCITING TRACK”

The Formula E World Championship resumes action this weekend (10 and 11) with the dispute of the third and fourth stages of the season, in a redesigned route in the streets of Rome. This will be the third time that the category will compete in the Italian capital, where the Brazilian Lucas Di Grassi has a good retrospect: the victory escaped in 2018, when Di Grassi was the second placed. The driver of the Audi ABT Sport Schaeffler team returned to score when he finished seventh in the most recent edition of the race in Rome, in 2019. “Two things are cheering the team up for this weekend: show the potential of our car, which we were unable to do in the first double round, and compete in the new route of Rome, which was very exciting ”, summarized Lucas. “The FIA ​​and FE are to be congratulated for the result of this reformulation,” continued the champion of the category in 2017.

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Covering charming stretches of the historic Italian capital, the new route now has 3,385 meters, against 2,860 meters from the previous version. “Part of the previous track was preserved, but the redesign included the addition of three new fast corners, a technically tricky stretch, in addition to longer straights and more overtaking points”, says the Brazilian. “It must be one of the best tracks on the calendar,” noted Lucas, who is one of the FIA ​​and FE consultants for the development of the tracks used by the category.

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About the Audi e- tron FE07, Lucas believes that its characteristics can “marry” with those of the Italian layout.“In the first two stages, in Saudi Arabia, we have already had moments of good performance. What was missing was an opportunity to maintain constancy and get closer to the cars in front, ”says Lucas. “A car that seems to have potential is always a boost of heart. But everyone knows that in F-E the competition is strong and works hard. So, we need to see how things are going to happen there on the track effectively. Anyway, our team is optimistic. And that is already a great start ”, concluded the Brazilian Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver. After two stages, the leadership of the Championship is with the Dutchman Nyck De Vries, of the Mercedes team, who has 32 points. Di Grassi is in 14th place, with six points.

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Programming - This Friday the category will hold a shakedown, training to check the systems of the cars, usually carried out in a few laps. Check the schedule in Rome during Brasilia time:

Friday, 9 April
12:30 pm - shakedown

Saturday, 10 april
03h00 - Free Practice 1
06h15 - Free Practice 2
07h00 - Classification
11h00 - start of the 3rd stage

Sunday, 11 april
02h00 - Free Practice 3
04h00 - Classification
08h00 - Start of the 4th stage