Susie Wolff made it very clear ahead of ABB FIA Formula E Season 8: Have both ROKiT Venturi Racing cars in the points, and for them, the start of a new campaign was executed on the right foot after Lucas di Grassi and Edoardo Mortara scored double podium finishes under the artificial lights at the Diriyah E-Prix.
Round 2 in Saudi Arabia looked to be another victory for Mercedes-EQ man Nick de Vries. However, Mortara pulled out all the stops and put his talent to the test to take the race’s place of honor, while di Grassi followed closely behind. After their first achievement as new teammates at ROKiT, the words immediately followed.
“What a day and what a weekend! Especially after my mistake on qualifying the first day. What a mega race and what a mega result for the team. I’ll take that. I’m very happy to bring that win to the team and a one-three, it’s amazing,” Edoardo noted between joy and excitement for his first win at the nascent season.
“This one-three is not the work of me and Edo, it’s the work of the whole team, so thank you all for trusting me to be part of the team. Coming to a different team, different software, different everything, I need to get used to half the functions to understand what they do to the car. That’s something to just practice on a simulator,” said di Grassi.
Related content: Mortara Shines to Win Round 2 in Diriyah: Lucas di Grassi Third
The competition at Diriyah was very strategic. The little energy left on the electric single-seaters had to be managed with caution. There were drivers on track faster than Mortara, like his teammate or Dutchman Robin Frijns, although in the end, ROKiT Venturi Racing’s plan prevailed, which favored Mortara, also with a bit of luck.
‘Edo’ hit the wall during the fight on the Diriyah circuit twice! and yet he was still able to stay focused to achieve the team’s goals. Obviously, it’s only the second race of 16, there’s a long battle ahead with high caliber rivals, but it never hurts to start a good season on the right foot, especially playing the role of favorites from the start.
Written by | Ronald Ortega
