Formula E: Lucas di Grassi snatches win after dramatic last corner crash

Formula E Press Release

Audi Sport ABT’s Lucas di Grassi stole victory in the inaugural Formula E Evergrande Spring Beijing ePrix after Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld crashed in a last corner battle for the lead.

Heidfeld walked away unscathed from a nasty looking incident after contact with Prost left him unable to control the car and flipped into the tyre barrier.

As the pair approached the final corner the Venturi driver dived up the inside in an attempt to the take the lead. The Frenchman moved left to defend and inevitably lead to their wheels colliding.

Heidfeld said: “I thought it was going to be a very big crash as well. Once I hit the kerb it felt like I was in the air forever. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact and then I thought ‘Oh that was lucky!’ I have a small pain in my calf but apart from that I’m perfectly fine.”

After clambering out from underneath the car Heidfeld, clearly aggravated, confronted Prost. However, Di Grassi won’t complain as he picks up the full 25 points and with it takes the lead of the championship.

He said: “Firstly, I’m happy Nick [Heidfeld] is ok and it shows how safe these cars are. To win the race is like a dream come true. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The team did a great job all through practice and qualifying, yes we made a few mistakes but overall I’m extremely happy to be the first ever winner of a Formula E race.”

Andretti driver Franck Montagny finished runner-up nearly three seconds adrift of Di Grassi as the Brazilian’s team-mate Daniel Abt crossed the line in third place. On return to the pitlane Abt was handed a time penalty for exceeding the battery consumption. The German driver used 28.2kW of the allocated 28kW available.

Katherine Legge and Jaime Alguersuari were also penalised for being over the limit.

Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird was eventually promoted to claim the final place on the podium. Andretti’s new signing Charles Pic put on a strong display to finish fourth ahead of Karun Chandhok.

Mahindra team-mate Bruno Senna retired on the opening lap after being squeezed between the two Amlin Aguri cars. The Brazilian broke his left-front suspension and consequently brought out the Qualcomm Safety Car.

Despite topping four of the five pre-season tests, e.dams-Renault’s Sebastien Buemi failed to finished after retiring on lap 19.

Takuma Sato picked up two points for Amlin Aguri posting the fastest lap of a 1.45.101 in the final moments of the race.

After a dream start in the first ever Formula E race in Beijing, Lucas di Grassi begins his title assault on the Barcelona World Cup.

The next ePrix takes place in Putrajaya on November 22.

Photo credit: Auto Racing Live by Michelin

PHOTOS: Audi Sport ABT in Formula-E test days at Donington Park

A selection of great photos taken by our friend Phil Laughton featuring Audi Sport ABT Formula-E Team. The event was the official Formula-E test days at Donington Park. The cars were driven by Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi.

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

Formula E: ABT Sportsline on display at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show

By Johan Laubscher

ABT Sportsline are on display at the Geneva Motor Show. They have a number of models on show, including one of their new red Formula E race cars.

ABT Sportsline will be competing in the 2014 FIA Formula E Championship, with the team name of Audi Sport ABT Formula-E Team.

The ABT Sportsline Formula E drivers were recently announced as Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt.

The 2014 Geneva Motor Show will be open to the public from 6-16 March.

Photo credit: ABT Sportsline

FIA Formula E: ABT Sportsline on display at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show

By Johan Laubscher

ABT Sportsline will be competing in the 2014 FIA Formula E Championship, with the team name of Audi Sport ABT Formula-E Team. Their red Formula E car will be on display at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

The ABT Sportsline Formula E drivers were recently announced as Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt.

The 2014 Geneva Motor Show will be held from 6-16 March.

Photo credit: ABT Sportsline

FIA Formula E: ABT presents drivers for FIA Formula E

ABT Sportsline Press Release

ABT Sportsline will be contesting the first season of the new FIA Formula E Championship with former Formula One racer and Audi factory driver Lucas di Grassi and German youngster Daniel Abt.

The German outfit is the first of the ten teams in the field to have presented its driver line-up. The inaugural event of the new championship will take place in Beijing (China) on 13 September 2014.

”In Daniel and Lucas we’ve signed our absolutely ideal pairing,” says team owner Hans-Jürgen Abt. ”My thanks go to Audi who released Lucas for the Formula E commitment. He’s been involved in the development of the series right from the beginning and is one of the most sought-after names in the scene – we’re proud that he’s opted for us.”

The 29-year-old Brazilian has previously competed in Formula One, various Formula series and endurance races. In 2014 di Grassi is again part of the Audi squad, running in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) including Le Mans. “I’m delighted that Audi is giving me the opportunity to drive in sports car racing as well as in Formula E,” says di Grassi. ”I’ve been watching ABT Sportsline on track for a long time – a very professional and cool outfit and my first contact. It’s great that it worked out. We’ve got ambitious plans…” His first Formula E test is scheduled for June.



The second cockpit of the only German Formula E team goes to Daniel Abt. The 21-year-old is starting his second GP2 season in 2014 after having previously clinched the runner-up’s spot in the GP3 Championship. As the son of team owner and CEO Hans-Jürgen Abt he was one of the first applicants. “I was really thrilled with the ideas of Formula E from the very beginning and obviously even more about ABT Sportsline competing with a team of their own,” says Daniel Abt. “That I’m part of the line-up in the inaugural season is both an honour and a huge challenge.”


The FIA Formula E Championship featuring electric vehicles with a maximum output of 270 hp will be held in ten major cities around the globe. The only German race will take place in Berlin on 30 May 2015. Although the inaugural event in Beijing (China) will not be held until 13 September preparations are already in full swing. In May the ten teams from around the world are scheduled to move into their common base in Donington (Great Britain) where the cars will be prepared for initial track tests.

“All our plans for Formula E are perfectly on track,” says Thomas Biermaier, who, as sports director, is responsible for all motorsport activities at ABT. “The two drivers we’d been wishing to sign are on board and our discussions with partners, sponsors, engineers and mechanics are making very good progress as well. I’m sure we’re soon going to have a powerful.”

Fans and journalists can experience the Formula E race car live in advance on ABT Sportsline’s stand at the Geneva Motor Show (6 to 16 March).

For more information on ABT Sportsline log onto www.abt-sportsline.de.

Photo credit: ABT Sportsline

FIA Formula E: ABT Sportsline to compete in FIA Formula E

ABT Sportsline Press Release

•         Bavarian outfit is the only German team to compete in the series
•         Ten races around the world, home round in Germany’s capital Berlin
•         Hans-Jürgen Abt: “A great and exciting challenge for us”

ABT Sportsline is tackling a new challenge in motor-sport. The squad headed by Team Principal Hans-Jürgen Abt will be competing with two cars in the new FIA Formula E Championship that will make its debut in September 2014. The Bavarians are the seventh of a total of ten teams and the only German outfit.

“We’re proud to have the opportunity to take part in the debut of this new racing series. Participating in the new FIA Formula E Championship marks a completely new chapter in our more than 60-year motorsport history,” said Managing Director Hans-Jürgen Abt. “As a company that has been active in the field of regenerative powertrains and electric mobility we’re convinced of the series’ concept. It’s innovative, delivers motorsport at the highest level and a great show for fans around the world – all of which are a perfect fit for ABT Sportsline.”

The outfit from Germany’s Allgäu region will compete under the name of ‘Audi Sport ABT Formula-E Team,’ based on the name used in its successful commitment as an Audi factory team in the popular international touring car series DTM. Audi Sport is favourable to this project. “We’ve been watching this new project of the FIA with great interest and are delighted that ABT Sportsline as one of our close and long-standing partners will be involved right from the beginning,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the squad on tackling this new challenge and are planning to support its commitment with drivers from our factory line-up if required.”

The agreement to enter the Championship was done by Hans-Jürgen Abt and Alejandro Agag, CEO of Championship promoters Formula E Holdings, in Kempten on Thursday night. Alejandro Agag said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Audi Sport Team ABT Formula E into the championship, our seventh of 10 teams and the third European outfit. Formula E is very much an open championship and a platform for teams to showcase their own fully-electric cars, so to have one of the most successful German motorsport teams with the support of a big manufacturer on board is a fantastic addition to the series. I’m sure German racing fans will also be particularly pleased as they now have a home team to support during the Berlin Formula E race.”

With five titles to its credit in the DTM alone ABT Sportsline is one of the most successful German teams, which has achieved victories and titles in GT and endurance racing as well. The commitment in Formula racing now also marks a return to the outfit’s early days. At the beginning of the ni-neteen-nineties, ABT scored its initial successes in Formel ADAC and Formula Three. One of the drivers back then was the subsequent Formula One and DTM star Ralf Schumacher. “We’ve been keen to embrace new challenges on many occasions in the past. Formula E is no doubt one of the most intensive ones, which makes our excitement about it even greater,” said Hans-Jürgen Abt.

Formula E is a new FIA Championship featuring Formula cars powered exclusively by electric energy and will debut in September 2014. Venues of the ten races will be Beijing, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Miami, Monaco, Berlin and London. The race weekends will consist of just one day on which the free practice and qualifying sessions as well as the race are held.

Photo credit: ABT Sportsline