Lucas di Grassi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lucas di Grassi
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Di Grassi in 2018
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| Born |
Lucas Tucci di Grassi
11 August 1984 São Paulo, Brazil
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| Spouse(s) |
Bianca Diniz Caloi
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
| Formula E career | |
| Debut season | 2014–15 |
| Current team | Lola Yamaha ABT |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car no. | 11 1 (2017–2018) |
| Former teams | Audi, Venturi, Mahindra |
| Starts | 131 |
| Championships | 1 (2016–17) |
| Wins | 13 |
| Podiums | 40 |
| Poles | 4 |
| Fastest laps | 12 |
| Finished last season | 23rd (4 pts) |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Years active | 2012–2016 |
| Teams | Audi |
| Starts | 28 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Podiums | 14 |
| Poles | 3 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 2nd in 2016 (LMP1) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Nationality |  Brazilian |
| Active years | 2010 |
| Teams | Virgin |
| Entries | 19 (18 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2013–2016 |
| Teams | Audi |
| Best finish | 2nd (2014) |
| Class wins | 0 |
| Previous series | |
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| Championship titles | |
| 2005 2016-17 |
Macau Grand Prix Formula E |
Lucas Tucci di Grassi (born August 11, 1984) is a Brazilian racing driver. He competes in Formula E for Abt. In formula racing, di Grassi raced in Formula One in 2010. He won the 2016–17 Formula E Championship with Abt. In endurance racing, di Grassi was second in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2016 with Audi.
Lucas di Grassi was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He started racing go-karts when he was ten. He quickly became successful in karting. In 2002, he moved to car racing. He finished second in the Formula Renault 2.0 Brazil and Formula 3 Sudamericana championships. Di Grassi won two races in the 2004 British Formula Three Championship. He then moved to the Euro Series and won the non-championship Macau Grand Prix. After that, he spent three years in the GP2 Series. He won four races and was second in 2007.
Di Grassi raced in Formula One with the Virgin Racing team in 2010. He later became an official tyre tester for Pirelli in 2011. For the next four seasons, he drove for Audi Sport Team Joest in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He finished second overall in 2016 with two wins. Since 2014, di Grassi has raced in Formula E. He has won thirteen races and the 2016–17 Drivers' Championship. In July 2020, he helped start the eSkootr Championship (eSC).
Contents
- Early Life and Family
- Racing Journey: From Karts to Formula One
- Formula One Adventure (2010)
- Life After F1: Testing and Endurance Racing (2011–Present)
- Formula E Journey (2012–Present)
- Driver Style and Ideas
- Racing Record
- Images for kids
- See also
Early Life and Family
Lucas di Grassi was born on August 11, 1984, in São Paulo, Brazil. His family has Italian roots from his grandfather. His uncle owned a go-kart shop. Lucas visited him every weekend to drive go-karts from age seven to eight. He went to Santa Cruz High School. Later, he earned a degree in Economics from Ibmec university.
In 2013, di Grassi married designer Bianca Diniz Caloi. They had a son named Leonardo in 2018. He lives in Monaco. Lucas also founded a group called Smarter Driving in 2007. This group helps save fuel. In 2018, he became a clean air ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme. He also does triathlons to stay fit for racing. He is a member of Mensa, a group for people with high IQs. Besides his native Portuguese, he speaks English, Italian, and Spanish. He also knows some French.
Racing Journey: From Karts to Formula One
Starting in Karting and Junior Races
Lucas di Grassi began karting at age ten. His father, Vito, who was a vice-president at a big vehicle company, invited him. In 1997, he won a karting series in São Paulo. He kept winning races in South America. In 2000, he finished fifth in the Formula A World Championship. That same year, he won the Pan American Kart Championship.
In 2002, Lucas started racing cars. He raced in Formula Renault 2.0 Brazil. He won two races and finished second overall. In 2003, he moved to Formula 3 Sudamericana. He won one race and got on the podium eleven times. He finished second in the championship, even though he missed the last six races due to a neck injury.
In 2004, he moved to the United Kingdom to race in the British Formula 3 International Series. He won two races at Thruxton. He finished eighth in the championship. He also came third in the Macau Grand Prix. In 2005, he joined the Formula 3 Euro Series. He had a big crash at the start of the season. But he recovered and won a race at Oschersleben. He finished third in the championship. He also won the Macau Grand Prix by passing Robert Kubica near the end.
GP2 Series and Formula One Testing (2006–2009)
In 2006, di Grassi moved to the GP2 Series. He struggled with his team, Durango. In 2007, he joined ART Grand Prix with help from the Renault Formula One team. He scored points often and was fighting for the championship with Timo Glock.
He won his first race of the year at Istanbul. He took the championship lead briefly. But Glock won the next race and took the lead back. In the final race, di Grassi started on wet tyres. The track dried, and he changed to slick tyres. He pushed too hard and crashed, ending his title hopes. Glock won the championship.
Di Grassi didn't plan to stay in GP2 for 2008. He was helping Renault develop their new GP2 car. But he joined Campos Racing from the fourth race. He quickly got three second-place finishes. He then won two races. He finished third in the championship, even though he raced in six fewer events.
In 2009, di Grassi hoped to race in Formula One with Renault. But Renault kept Nelson Piquet Jr. and Fernando Alonso. He was also considered by Ross Brawn for Honda. He tested for Honda, but they left Formula One. So, di Grassi stayed in GP2 with Racing Engineering. He won one race in Istanbul. He finished on the podium six more times. He ended the season third in the drivers' standings again.
Formula One Adventure (2010)
On December 15, 2009, Lucas di Grassi was announced as a driver for the new Virgin Racing team. His teammate was Timo Glock. He brought about £5 million in sponsorship to the team. Many experts thought Glock would be faster than di Grassi.
He retired from the first two races due to car problems. His best finish was 14th at the Malaysian Grand Prix. He had to save fuel during that race. He faced many issues throughout the season, like clutch failures, loose wheels, and suspension problems. Despite these challenges, he often finished races.
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Di Grassi impressed the Virgin Racing engineers with his feedback. However, his pace compared to Glock was not always strong. He finished 24th in the Drivers' Championship with no points. On December 19, he won a karting event called the 2010 Desafio Internacional das Estrelas. Two days later, Virgin announced a new driver for 2011, leaving di Grassi without a Formula One seat.
Life After F1: Testing and Endurance Racing (2011–Present)
Pirelli Test Driver and Early Endurance Races (2011–2014)
In 2011, Lucas di Grassi became a tyre test driver for Pirelli. He helped develop new Formula One tyres. He drove a Toyota TF109 test car in five sessions. He also attended races to gather information about tyre performance. He continued this role in 2012, using a Renault R30 car to develop tyres for future seasons.
Di Grassi started endurance racing in 2012 at the 2012 24 Hours of Nürburgring. He drove a McLaren but retired early. He then joined Audi Sport Team Joest for the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of São Paulo. He finished third overall with teammates Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. He also raced in the International V8 Supercars Championship and the Macau GT Cup.
In 2013, Audi offered di Grassi a full contract. He raced for Audi in the 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing second. He also raced an experimental car at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He finished third in both races.
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In 2014, he raced in Stock Car Brasil but retired early. He became a full-time driver for Audi in the World Endurance Championship. He shared the No. 1 Audi with Kristensen and Loïc Duval. They finished second at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans. They ended the season fourth in the drivers' standings.
Continued Endurance Racing (2015–Present)
In 2015, di Grassi continued with Audi. He raced with Oliver Jarvis and Loïc Duval. They finished fifth at Silverstone and seventh at Spa-Francorchamps. At Le Mans, a crash ended their chances of winning, but they finished fourth. They got their only podium of the season at the Circuit of the Americas, finishing third. He ended the season fourth in the Drivers' Championship.
In 2016, his WEC season started poorly. But he won his first race in the series at Spa-Francorchamps. At Le Mans, they finished third. He also raced in the Audi Sport TT Cup as a guest driver, winning one race. He and his teammates finished second in the Drivers' Championship for the season.
In 2017, he was set to race for Toyota and Ferrari at Le Mans but was not allowed by Audi or was injured. He returned to Macau for the FIA GT World Cup but retired after a crash. In 2018, he joined Mazda Team Joest for the Petit Le Mans and finished second.
In 2019, di Grassi made a one-off return to Stock Car Brasil. He took pole position and won the race. However, he was disqualified for not serving a penalty.
Formula E Journey (2012–Present)
Formula E is an electric car racing series. Its goal is to develop environmentally friendly vehicles. Lucas di Grassi was asked by Formula E promoter Alejandro Agag to help develop the electric race car. He was unsure at first but liked the idea of making green cars exciting. A year later, di Grassi became the official test driver for Formula E. He tested the first prototype car in 2012. He was very involved in developing the vehicle. He later decided to race in the series instead of just testing. On February 13, 2014, di Grassi was announced as a driver for the first Formula E season with Audi Sport ABT. His teammate was Daniel Abt.
ABT Sportsline (2014–2021)
2014–15 Season: First Electric Race Win
In September 2014, di Grassi won the very first Formula E race in Beijing. This made him the first driver to win an all-electric motor race. He got two more podiums in a row, finishing second in Putrajaya and third in Punta del Este. This put him in the lead of the championship.
However, he had some bad luck. He retired from the lead in Buenos Aires due to a suspension problem. Technical issues made him finish ninth in Miami, and he lost the championship lead. He bounced back with a third place in Long Beach and second in Monaco. This gave him a four-point lead with four races left.
His championship hopes took a hit when he was disqualified from victory in Berlin. This was because of illegal changes to his car's front wing. After finishing second in Moscow, he was seventeen points behind Nelson Piquet Jr. for the final races in London. He finished fourth and sixth in London, but it wasn't enough. He ended the season third overall, eleven points behind Piquet. However, he had the most podium finishes of any driver with six.
2015–16 Season: Close Battle for the Title
Lucas di Grassi started the second season strong with three podiums in the first three races. He finished second in Beijing, then won in Putrajaya, taking the championship lead. He followed this with a second place in Punta del Este and a third in Buenos Aires. He was only four points behind Sébastien Buemi.
His title hopes faced a challenge when he was disqualified from a win in Mexico City. His car was found to be too light. He recovered by winning in Long Beach. This gave him a one-point lead. He then won again in Paris, extending his lead to eleven points.
In Berlin, Buemi won, and di Grassi finished third. Di Grassi extended his lead to three points after the first London ePrix race. In the final race, Buemi got pole position. On the first lap, di Grassi and Buemi crashed. Both cars were damaged. They then used their second cars to battle for the fastest lap, which gives extra points. Buemi set the fastest lap and won the championship by just two points.
2016–17 Season: Formula E Champion!
Before this season, di Grassi drove an electric car on the Arctic polar ice cap in Greenland. This was to raise awareness about global warming. He started the 2016-17 season with a second place in Hong Kong. He then finished fifth in Marrakesh and third in Buenos Aires.
In Mexico City, he was in a first-lap crash. He had to switch cars early. But a safety car helped him save energy, and he won the race! He was now only five points behind Buemi. In Monaco, he finished second after trying to overtake Buemi for the win.
He struggled in the Paris ePrix and crashed out. But his performance in Berlin reduced Buemi's lead. He then gained more points in the New York City ePrix. This put him ten points behind Buemi for the final races in Montreal. He won the pole position and the first race in Montreal. He finished seventh in the second race. Buemi had a bad weekend, and Lucas di Grassi won his first Drivers' Championship! He was also named CEO of Roborace and Brazilian Driver of the Year.
2017–18 Season: A Strong Comeback
Di Grassi continued with Audi Sport ABT for the 2017–18 Formula E season. He had a tough start, scoring no points in the first four races due to car problems. But he finished ninth in Mexico City. After that, he got seven podium finishes in a row! This included wins in Zürich and the first New York City race. He finished second in the Drivers' Championship. His and his teammate's strong performance helped Audi win their first Teams' Championship. He said his driving was even better this year, calling his comeback "a miracle."
2018–19 Season: More Wins
Di Grassi won the 2019 Mexico City ePrix by passing Pascal Wehrlein right before the finish line. He also won in Berlin later that year. He ended the season third overall with 108 points.
2019–20 Season: Consistent Performer
Di Grassi got his first podium of the 2019-20 season in Diriyah. He finished sixth in the championship with 77 points. This was his first Formula E season without a race win.
2020–21 Season: Ups and Downs
Di Grassi won the first Puebla ePrix after Pascal Wehrlein was disqualified. He was leading a race in Rome but his car failed. He also had issues in London. He finished seventh in the season with 87 points. He also raced in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for two rounds.
ROKIT Venturi Racing (2022)
2021–22 Season: New Team, New Wins
Di Grassi moved to Venturi Racing for Season 8 after Audi left Formula E. He started strong with a fifth and third place. He then had some tough races. In New York, he finished second. In London, he started second and won the race! A third place in Seoul meant he reached 1009 points in Formula E. He finished the season fifth overall with 126 points.
Mahindra Racing (2023)
2022–23 Season: Pole Position and Podium
Di Grassi joined Mahindra Racing for the 2022–23 season. At the first race in Mexico City, he got pole position and finished third. He called it "like a Mexican miracle." After this strong start, he scored 14 more points for the rest of the year. Di Grassi left the team after the season.
Return to ABT (2024–)
2023–24 Season: Back with ABT
Di Grassi rejoined ABT CUPRA for the 2023–24 season. He partnered Nico Müller.
2024–25 Season: New Powertrain
Di Grassi will continue with ABT for the 2024–25 season. The team will use Lola powertrains. He will team up with Formula 2 driver Zane Maloney.
Driver Style and Ideas
Lucas di Grassi is known as one of the most "technically gifted" racing drivers. This is because he helped develop important race car parts. He is also good at handling the media. One writer called him a "new breed of racing driver" because he is open to the future of motor racing. He believes automated racing could make drivers even more important in Formula One.
He has shared his thoughts on topics like the Halo safety device in Formula One and track limits. He thinks changing track layouts could create more overtaking opportunities. Many people think di Grassi should be more involved in the future of motor racing. He has even said he wants to run for the presidency of the FIA (the world's motorsport governing body) in the future.
Racing Record
Career Summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
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| 2002 | Formula Renault 2.0 Brazil | G Force Motorsport | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 137 | 2nd |
| 2003 | Formula 3 Sudamericana | Avallone Motorsport | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 164 | 2nd |
| Formula 3 Euro Series | Prema Powerteam | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 21st | |
| 2004 | British Formula 3 International Series | Hitech Racing | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 130 | 8th |
| Bahrain Superprix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 19th | ||
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | ||
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th | ||
| FIA European Formula Three Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 6th | ||
| 2005 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Manor Motorsport | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 68 | 3rd |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st | ||
| Masters of Formula 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | ||
| 2006 | GP2 Series | Durango | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17th |
| 2007 | GP2 Series | ART Grand Prix | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 77 | 2nd |
| 2008 | GP2 Series | Barwa International Campos Team | 14 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 63 | 3rd |
| 2009 | GP2 Series | Racing Engineering | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 63 | 3rd |
| 2010 | Formula One | Virgin Racing | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24th |
| 2011 | Formula One | Pirelli | Test driver | ||||||
| 2012 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Audi Sport Team Joest | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 22nd |
| City of Dreams Macau GT Cup | AF Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 17th | |
| 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Dörr Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | NC | |
| International V8 Supercars Championship | Tekno Autosports | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| Formula One | Pirelli | Test driver | |||||||
| 2013 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Audi Sport Team Joest | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 9th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | ||
| American Le Mans Series | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC† | ||
| Formula One | Pirelli | Test driver | |||||||
| 2014 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Audi Sport Team Joest | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 117 | 4th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd | ||
| Stock Car Brasil | Ipiranga-RCM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2014–15 | Formula E | Audi Sport ABT | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 133 | 3rd |
| 2015 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Audi Sport Team Joest | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 99 | 4th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4th | ||
| Stock Car Brasil | Ipiranga-RCM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2015–16 | Formula E | ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 153 | 2nd |
| 2016 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Audi Sport Team Joest | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 147.5 | 2nd |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | ||
| Audi Sport TT Cup | Audi Sport | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | NC† | |
| Stock Car Brasil | Ipiranga-RCM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2016–17 | Formula E | ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 181 | 1st |
| 2017 | FIA GT World Cup | HCB-Rutronik-Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2017–18 | Formula E | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 144 | 2nd |
| 2018 | Stock Car Brasil | HERO Motorsport | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 127 | 12th |
| Petit Le Mans | Mazda Team Joest | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2nd | ||
| 2018–19 | Formula E | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 108 | 3rd |
| 2019 | Stock Car Brasil | Eurofarma RC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th |
| 2019–20 | Formula E | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 77 | 6th |
| 2020 | Porsche Endurance Series | N/A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 159 | 6th |
| 2020–21 | Formula E | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 87 | 7th |
| 2021 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Abt Sportsline | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| Porsche All-Star Race Brasil | N/A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th | |
| 2021–22 | Formula E | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 16 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 126 | 5th |
| 2022–23 | Formula E | Mahindra Racing | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 15th |
| 2023–24 | Formula E | ABT CUPRA Formula E Team | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 23rd |
| 2024–25 | Formula E | Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team | |||||||
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† As di Grassi was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
Images for kids
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The Renault R30 (pictured in its 2010 configuration) which di Grassi tested in 2012 to develop Pirelli's next generation of tyres in Formula One.
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The No. 3 Audi R18 e-tron quattro that di Grassi shared with Oliver Jarvis and Marc Gené at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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The Audi R18 (pictured at the 2016 Paris Motor Show) that di Grassi, Duval and Oliver Jarvis drove in the 2016 World Endurance Championship.
See also
In Spanish: Lucas Di Grassi para niños
