Lucas di Grassi looked like he was hit for six by Sebastien Buemi in season three, but the Brazilian was able to pull off an incredible comeback to claim the season three driver’s championship. As we enter race week for season four of the Formula E Championship, di Grassi discusses his thoughts ahead of possibly the most competitive season of Formula E so far. Di Grassi has decided to race with the number one displayed on his Audi for season four. The Brazilian believes that it is essential to show the world that you are the champion when the opportunity comes around.

“It’s a good feeling to have the number one on our car because it shows that we did a good job last season and achieved something exceptional. You don’t get points for that in the new season, but it’s tremendous motivation to give everything again for success, said Di Grassi.”

Preparations for season four

Even though, the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia has not been a representative track for Formula E. Di Grassi is confident that Audi has moved their car forward for season four, which should enable them to be competitive again this season.

“I’m very happy. Compared with the years before, we’ve created a good starting base with hard work and a huge commitment. In Hong Kong, we’ll see how that’s ultimately going to pan out in the race with our competitors.”

The parts in the powertrain that can be touched by the engineers have been entirely overhauled by Audi as they look to find the competitive edge against Renault that they have lacked so far.

“The powertrain, the development of which is free in Formula E, is completely new. In addition, we changed the transmission – from three speeds to just one speed.

“With Audi’s entry, we now have even better opportunities, especially in terms of working in the simulator. This is good and necessary. I’m convinced that, as a result, the level in the entire field will be raised once again.”

Home race in Brazil

Di Grassi has been promoting the idea of racing in Brazil since he entered the sport in season one, and his wish of a Brazilian ePrix will come true this year with a race around the streets of Sao Paulo.

“The race in São Paulo is a dream come true for me. The city is my home and my whole family and my friends are going to be at the race.

“Still, there are other cities I very much look forward to – such as Rome and Zurich. With new attractive race locations and new manufacturers, Formula E is experiencing a real boom at the moment.

“For me, it’s already the second-most relevant racing series after Formula 1. It meets all the prerequisites for further growth in the future.”

Racing in Macau

Di Grassi recently raced at the legendary Macau circuit in the GT World Cup series, along with a number of Formula E drivers like Maro Engel, Felix Rosenqvist and Edoardo Mortara.

With Macau being a street circuit, di Grassi believes the race it has begun to sharpen his focus on street tracks as he heads into the Formula E season.

“In spite of the cars and tracks being different, every race sharpens a race driver’s senses and trains body and mind. Macau is special and a tremendous challenge in motorsport. I’m very thankful that I had the opportunity to race there again – even though we’d have wished for a different result.”