As 2020 draws to a close, the teams of the FIA Formula E Championship are well advanced in their preparations for the coming season, the formula’s seventh. The 12 race calendar is set to start with a double header in Santiago, Chile on January 16 and 17, and then another double in Saudi Arabia the following month. Dates and host cities are still being finalised at time of writing, but organisers are confident that racing will once again take in numerous cities around the world including Berlin which is set down for mid-June at this stage.

For the first time since its inception, the season will be held as an official FIA World Championship and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler will be looking to build on its outstanding record in the series, which it has contested since the first round in Beijing in 2014 – which Lucas di Grassi won.

Indeed, Lucas di Grassi leads the all-time list of best drivers with 32 podiums and 796 points, his victory in Beijing in 2014 just one of 10 he has secured in his 69 races in the series and record 796 points.

In 2017 he won the drivers’ championship and the following year Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler took the teams’ trophy, so the brand has already achieved great success in the formula’s relatively short lifetime.

Joining di Grassi in the second Audi FE07 e-tron in the coming season will be René Rast who got his first taste of the all-electric formula in August in the condensed finals series held in Berlin. Here, the two-time DTM Champion (who is looking to wrap up his third DTM crown this coming weekend at Hockenheim) showed why he is considered one of the brightest young drivers in the world, scoring a podium and 29 points to finished 15th in the drivers’ championship, which was better than many drivers who had contested the entire season.
“With his impressive performances in Berlin, René proved that he feels comfortable in Formula E and at the same time is also fast and successful. He has absolutely earned his place in our Formula E team,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. 

“For me, it was extremely important to have two drivers who push each other to peak performance,” says Dieter Gass. “With Lucas and René, we have succeeded in doing this
brilliantly. Lucas is the most successful driver in the field and extremely hungry to win his second title. René has already left an impressive mark in Berlin. We are enjoying his determination year after year in the DTM. I am already looking forward to experiencing it in Formula E.”