After the end of the 2021 Formula E Season, the first as World Championship of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), the teams are starting to think about the future to be competitive in the upcoming challenges.
This is the case of Venturi Racing, which is evaluating the performance of the drivers and could make some grid changes for the 2022 campaign. Among them, Norman Nato, who has had a good season, but apparently did not meet the expectations required by the team to be at the top of the standings.
The Frenchman, who replaced Felipe Massa, finished 18th in the drivers’ table and may be replaced by one of the stars, Lucas Di Grassi. “That’s going to be a decision we’re having very quickly after the season is over. We find ourselves in a situation where, unfortunately, one car is very high up the table, but the other is not,” said Susie Wolff, Venturi director.
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Nato lost two potential podium finishes due to penalties, and was disqualified from the second race in Rome for exceeding energy limits, before losing third place in Valencia for a five-second penalty for hitting Alex Lynn on a spin.
“I think Norman has done a good job for a rookie. He could have achieved podiums in Rome and Valencia, which is pretty positive for a first season, but we need to be competitive as a team and that requires two cars scoring good points,” Wolff explained.
“Certainly, at the end of the season, we will have to sit down and think about maximizing points for the team. If we have one car up and one car down, it’s very difficult for the Team Championship,” he reiterated.
Di Grassi’s potential arrival
The Brazilian, 2016-17 season champion, and who finished seventh in the recently ended championship, might come to Venturi due to Audi’s decision to leave Formula E.
Di Grassi’s and the team led by Wolff’s destinations are based in Monaco, which could be another tied up end of a possible relationship starter, more so if the driver has decided to continue betting on the electric category and wishes to stay on in 2022.
“Things are looking pretty good for me to stay here next season. My main option was to remain with Abt. This is what I always thought about doing when Audi decided to leave, but as everything seems less likely, I’ve had to look at other options. My chances are a bit limited, but if I wanted to give a probability of being here, I would say it’s more than 90%,” Di Grassi said at the end of the season.
Written by I Jhonattan González
