Despite his decorated legacy in Formula E, including a championship title in the 2016–2017 season, Lucas di Grassi has struggled to make an impact in 2024–2025. Now racing with the newly formed Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team, the Brazilian veteran enters the Berlin E-Prix weekend 17th in the standings, with only 30 points scored. He has registered points finishes just three times this season.
Speaking amid rainy conditions on Thursday at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, di Grassi discussed the frequency of wet weather sessions that have characterised the season so far.
“I was just saying that we had much more wet events this year than the average or pretty much the sum of all of the other years of Formula E, I would say. So pretty much, we had Monaco, Shanghai, Tokyo, Mexico, we had Qualifying sessions in the wet. Jakarta, we had a session in the wet…”
Mixed fortunes in Asia, with weather as a major factor
During Formula E’s recent Asian leg, which included races in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Jakarta, di Grassi experienced fluctuating results. He scored points in Race 2 at both Tokyo and Shanghai but failed to do so in the corresponding opening races. Nonetheless, he did not attribute his Race 1 difficulties solely to the weather.
“Yeah, we tend to do quite well in the mixed conditions.”
However, he singled out the Tokyo E-Prix as an unusual case. In that event, Qualifying for Race 1 was cancelled, forcing the grid to be set by Free Practice 2 results—something di Grassi felt compromised the race outcome.
“Tokyo was… no, it was not chaos. It was very unfortunate because they cancelled Qualifying. So, in the end, they used the result from FP2 and in FP2, there was a red flag in the middle of the session and so it was very random, right.”
Improved pace in Shanghai amidst adversity
Despite a difficult Race 1 in Shanghai, where he finished 18th, di Grassi delivered his strongest Qualifying performance of the season in Race 2. Due to persistent wet conditions, the grid was decided using the group stages. Di Grassi placed second in Group B before the session was red-flagged, granting him a fourth-place starting position. Although he could not convert this into a podium, he secured two points with a ninth-place finish.
“Shanghai was better,” he said, “Qualifying [was] interrupted and [it was] very difficult, but we qualified fourth which was our best Qualifying of the year, in a very tricky, difficult condition, and we scored points in the race, so it was good.”
With more rain forecast in Berlin, di Grassi sees potential for weather-related opportunities once again. He said, “So hopefully, in the rain, we can score more points again.”
Adapting to Pit Boost and developing EV technology
The 2025 Berlin E-Prix will bring another layer of complexity, with Formula E continuing to implement Pit Boost—a fast-charging feature introduced in Season 11. The first race of each double header has typically included the use of Pit Boost, and Berlin will follow that trend.
When asked whether he enjoyed the Pit Boost format and whether he viewed it as necessary, di Grassi offered a two-part response.
“There are two questions there. If I enjoy it, yes. If it is necessary, I believe that it showcases and develops a very key technology for electric vehicles which is fast charging. So, on this basis, I would say it is also necessary. I mean it is not necessary for racing, but I think it is necessary to create a different race and to develop the technologies.”
A challenging weekend ahead in Berlin
While the Tempelhof circuit is familiar territory for di Grassi—who has started 19 Berlin races—this year presents a new challenge. Lola Yamaha ABT is a fresh entry on the Formula E grid, and the Berlin E-Prix will mark its debut at the venue. Di Grassi acknowledged that the team’s focus has largely been on learning and development during its maiden campaign.
Consequently, he has often had to depend on unpredictable elements, such as weather, to gain an advantage. When asked if Berlin played to his personal strengths, di Grassi offered a measured response. Although he has historically done well at the circuit, he pointed out a number of disqualifications alongside his podium finishes.
“Honestly, it is very hard to know,” he replied. “We have been doing quite good here on average. I think I finished six times on the podium. I won three races, three or four times when I got disqualified, but I definitely won it.”
He recalled, “I got disqualified because of a repair on the front wing in Season 1.”
Di Grassi concluded, “I do not think there is anything to play on our strength. I think this year for Lola has been a difficult year because it is our first year. So, we are learning, and we are improving, and hopefully with the weather conditions and a little bit of chaos, we have more chances of scoring another podium.”
