Electric Mexico

Mexico once again proved to be a favourite E-Prix for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team, even though racing took place this weekend on a new circuit. With two rounds of the championship contested over the weekend (round 8 Saturday and Round 9 Sunday), plenty of points were on offer as the second half of the 2021 season got underway and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team wasn’t little time in finding its groove on the 2.982-kilometre circuit.

Both di Grassi and Rast showed plenty of speed in qualify for Saturday’s race with the Brazilian qualifying in eighth place on the grid and René Rast in ninth. Fighting their way through the field in what was a tight race, the pair made their way into second and third places respectively as the race drew to a close, then in a twist of fate so common in Formula E, the Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein was disqualified, advancing the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler drivers an addition spot to make it an historic one-two for the Audi team.

For Lucas di Grassi it was his third Formula E victory in Mexico and his 11th win in Formula E, while for teammate René Rast his second place was his second podium result in a fledgling Formula E career to date, having netted a third place in Berlin late last year.

For Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler in Formula E the result was the 13th race win, the 45th podium position and the third one-two victory.

“Today, we finally proved that our Audi e-tron FE07 is a real winner. The fact that I can celebrate together with René in second place and the whole team makes it even nicer. Now we’re back in the title fight and will give everything to keep it exciting until the very last race.”

Sundays’ race showed once again how fickle Formula E racing can be with a difficult qualifying session resulting in di Grassi starting from 13th and Rast from the very back of the pack. The race itself was likewise a struggle, with Lucas finishing well back in 18th, while Rast again fought his way through the field to secure a top 10 spot and one point in the championship and an additional point for fastest lap of the race.

“A very exciting race,” Rast said at the completion of the weekend. “We chose a slightly different strategy and saved a lot of energy, so we still scored two points. The joy about the podium on Saturday and the good position in the championship prevails above all.”

Indeed the team’s overall points haul of 44 for the weekend was the biggest by a single team in this current season to date and sees Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler now sit in fourth position in the teams’ standings just 14 points behind the leaders. Likewise in the drivers’ standings, René Rast has also jumped to fourth place, well within striking distance of the leader.

Formula E continues its season with two races in New York City on July 10 and 11. These will be followed by races in London and the two final races in Berlin in mid-August.