ROKiT Venturi Racing signs di Grassi alongside Mortara for Season 8


September 15, 2021

by Topher Smith

Lucas di Grassi has joined ROKiT Venturi Racing for Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, joining Edoardo Mortara at the Monegasque team for his first campaign not in Audi colours.

Having raced for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler since the series' inception in 2014, di Grassi has become one of the most successful Formula E drivers, taking the first ever E-Prix victory in Beijing and collecting the Season 3 title with 12 victories to date, the most recent coming at last season's Berlin E-Prix.

With the news of Audi's departure mid-season, the Brazilian was forced to evaluate his options for Season 8 and soon found a home with ROKiT Venturi Racing, with initial speculation linking him to a seat at Nissan e.dams alongside series rival Sebastien Buemi before former BMW i Andretti racer Maximilian Günther was signed by the Japanese team.

Di Grassi will replace Norman Nato, who took his maiden Formula E victory at the final race of Season 7 in Berlin but now faces an uncertain future in Formula E having lost his seat to the Season 3 champion.

Speaking on his new venture with Venturi, di Grassi believes the team has the capability to fight for the championship having stepped up its game in Season 7 to win two races.

"Anyone who knows me knows how competitive I am - driving for a team that I know can fight at the front and really challenge for the championship is essential for me," said the 37-year-old. "ROKiT Venturi Racing was simply the best choice and I’m really happy to be part of the team.

"I’ve followed Venturi since Season 1 and I know that they have a strong history in Monaco. The team performed very, very well last season. You can see that the team has progressed a lot in recent years, the momentum is really there and they have shown clear improvements in every area.

"Edo had a fantastic season, really strong, he was fighting for the title until the very end and there were many times over the season that I was racing both Venturi cars and I could see how competitive they were.

"It’s not just about the team though, I’m really happy to drive alongside Edo, we’ve known each other for a very long time, we part of the Audi program together, I respect him as a driver, as a human - he’s a very talented driver and a great character, I think we’re going to work really well together."

Susie Wolff, Team Principal of ROKiT Venturi Racing, praised the team for its competitive Season 7 and believes the arrival of di Grassi to the team can help it go even further in Season 8.

“Last season we demonstrated that we have a strong package, there were many highlights throughout the season starting with a podium and finishing with a win," said Wolff. "Edo showcased to everyone what we have known all along - that he’s a World Championship contender.

"Moving forward to Season 8, Edo is joined by Lucas - a proven Formula E Championship winner who also brings a wealth of experience. They will push each other and drive us forward as a team. To have both cars scoring points in every race is essential for us for the Team’s Championship and with our new driver line-up, there’s a lot to feel optimistic about heading into Season 8."

Heading into Season 8 with a new teammate, Mortara is pleased to be continuing with the team that helped him to become the Formula E vice-champion in Season 7 and eagerly awaits having di Grassi as his teammate.

"I’m really happy to be continuing with the team and it’s a pleasure to welcome Lucas to the family," said Mortara. "We had a very strong season this year, my best so far in Formula E which was also testimony to the hard work of the team around me.

"We’re on good trajectory and we want to maintain that moving forward. Competing against Lucas in the past he has always been extremely competitive and he’s very good when it comes to energy management - one of the most critical points to being successful in Formula E. The progress we made in Season 7 was great but there is still plenty to do and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

Image credit: ROKiT Venturi Racing Media

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