Lola Yamaha ABT has confirmed an unchanged driver pairing of Lucas
di Grassi and Zane Maloney for the upcoming Formula E campaign.
The historic British manufacturer joined the all-electric
championship last season and has opted for continuity rather than
change. Di Grassi and Maloney being retained for a second season
as team-mates had been expected and was revealed by RacingNews365
in the summer , with Mark Preston, the team's motorsport director
having described the nature of the pairing as "invaluable". "Lola,
Yamaha and ABT have all been working extremely hard to apply the
learnings from our first season to put ourselves in the best
possible position for Season 12 and we are thrilled that Zane and
Lucas will be continuing to drive this progress forwards," said
Preston. "The benefit of having a new driver to the series, along
with one of the most experienced, has been clear from day one and
their feedback and dedication is invaluable to the team." It was a
daunting first season in Formula E for Lola, who entered the series
at the start of the Gen3 Evo era but without any prior experience
in the category. With its own powertrain, the back of the grid
typically consisted of at least one yellow-and-blue car; however,
progress towards the midfield was made in the latter rounds. A
shock podium was secured by veteran di Grassi in Miami, who will be
embarking on his 12th season in Formula E. Di Grassi's knowledge
and expertise in Formula E has been vital to the growth of Lola,
with the Brazilian determined to get the squad further up the field
in what will be the final year of the current regulatory cycle.
"I’m pleased to confirm a second season with Lola Yamaha ABT in
Formula E," said di Grassi. "Our first season was very positive
with a podium in Miami and 32 points scored. "We’ve worked
extremely hard this summer and added reinforcements to the team to
ensure our second season is even better. "The long-term view and
dedication of people from Lola, Yamaha and ABT to put this team
where it deserves to be, winning races and fighting for
championships, gives me so much motivation. "I really enjoy
working with the team and truly appreciate all the effort they’ve
put in, which will hopefully result in many more successes in the
future together." Youth and experience In retaining both di Grassi
and Maloney, Lola has opted to stick with a driver pairing
consisting of both youth and experience. Lola's first year in
Formula E also marked Maloney's debut season, one which saw the
former Sauber academy driver fail to score a point. It was a
statistic which failed to bother the 21-year-old, who was always
aware of the challenges being a rookie in a completely new and
inexperienced team. However, the upcoming campaign represents one
where progress is expected of Maloney, who will also support Lola's
Gen4 development which will get underway later this year. "I’m very
excited to be continuing with Lola Yamaha ABT for Season 12," said
Maloney. "Last year was mine and the team’s rookie season and I
think we developed very well. "I’m looking forward to working with
Lucas and the entire team to continue that development into next
season. "Of course, it’s going to be a tough year but the more
that we can carry on working hard and making progress with the car,
while I continue to improve as a driver, the better we can do.
Thank you to the fans for all the support and we look forward to
seeing you all next season."
di Grassi and Zane Maloney for the upcoming Formula E campaign.
The historic British manufacturer joined the all-electric
championship last season and has opted for continuity rather than
change. Di Grassi and Maloney being retained for a second season
as team-mates had been expected and was revealed by RacingNews365
in the summer , with Mark Preston, the team's motorsport director
having described the nature of the pairing as "invaluable". "Lola,
Yamaha and ABT have all been working extremely hard to apply the
learnings from our first season to put ourselves in the best
possible position for Season 12 and we are thrilled that Zane and
Lucas will be continuing to drive this progress forwards," said
Preston. "The benefit of having a new driver to the series, along
with one of the most experienced, has been clear from day one and
their feedback and dedication is invaluable to the team." It was a
daunting first season in Formula E for Lola, who entered the series
at the start of the Gen3 Evo era but without any prior experience
in the category. With its own powertrain, the back of the grid
typically consisted of at least one yellow-and-blue car; however,
progress towards the midfield was made in the latter rounds. A
shock podium was secured by veteran di Grassi in Miami, who will be
embarking on his 12th season in Formula E. Di Grassi's knowledge
and expertise in Formula E has been vital to the growth of Lola,
with the Brazilian determined to get the squad further up the field
in what will be the final year of the current regulatory cycle.
"I’m pleased to confirm a second season with Lola Yamaha ABT in
Formula E," said di Grassi. "Our first season was very positive
with a podium in Miami and 32 points scored. "We’ve worked
extremely hard this summer and added reinforcements to the team to
ensure our second season is even better. "The long-term view and
dedication of people from Lola, Yamaha and ABT to put this team
where it deserves to be, winning races and fighting for
championships, gives me so much motivation. "I really enjoy
working with the team and truly appreciate all the effort they’ve
put in, which will hopefully result in many more successes in the
future together." Youth and experience In retaining both di Grassi
and Maloney, Lola has opted to stick with a driver pairing
consisting of both youth and experience. Lola's first year in
Formula E also marked Maloney's debut season, one which saw the
former Sauber academy driver fail to score a point. It was a
statistic which failed to bother the 21-year-old, who was always
aware of the challenges being a rookie in a completely new and
inexperienced team. However, the upcoming campaign represents one
where progress is expected of Maloney, who will also support Lola's
Gen4 development which will get underway later this year. "I’m very
excited to be continuing with Lola Yamaha ABT for Season 12," said
Maloney. "Last year was mine and the team’s rookie season and I
think we developed very well. "I’m looking forward to working with
Lucas and the entire team to continue that development into next
season. "Of course, it’s going to be a tough year but the more
that we can carry on working hard and making progress with the car,
while I continue to improve as a driver, the better we can do.
Thank you to the fans for all the support and we look forward to
seeing you all next season."
The post Lola confirm 'invaluable' Formula E driver pairing after debut campaign appeared first on RacingNews365.