Lucas di Grassi has competed in every Formula E season since it started in 2014 – but Season 11 was by far his most difficult.
The Brazilian has experience in several motorsport categories, including a brief spell in Formula 1 in 2010 with newcomers Virgin Racing, where he struggled with an undeveloped car and scored no points.
Di Grassi also had a spell in the World Endurance Championship from 2012 to 2016 with Audi, finishing as high as second in his last year in the category.
The German manufacturer is who the 40-year-old has spent the majority of his Formula E career with under the ABT team, but speaking on The Race Formula E podcast, Tom Brooks labelled the 2023/24 season as a ‘shocker’ for Di Grassi.
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Tom Brooks says Lucas di Grassi had a ‘shocker of a season’ in 2023/24
The Brazilian spent the first seven seasons of FE with ABT before moving to Venturi for the 2021/22 season.
The following year, di Grassi moved to Mahindra before returning to ABT for Season 10, where the 40-year-old endured a torrid season.
Di Grassi could only manage four points across the season as he finished 23rd place in the standings, even behind Formula 2 driver Taylor Barnard who only drove three races.
ABT finished the season ninth in the teams’ championship, with di Grassi’s teammate Nico Muller scoring 52 points for the team.
And while Muller impressed on his way to securing a seat at Andretti for Season 11, Brooks was left in disbelief by his teammate’s struggles.
When asked if Muller’s performances were a ‘phenomenal achievement’, he replied: “Yeah, it is. Nico’s pulling some really strong performances.
“[It’s] no surprise to see that he’s ended up getting the Andretti seat for Season 11 as a result and obviously the factory Porsche gig presumably in the World Endurance Championship there as well. So phenomenal from him.
“Obviously, on the other side of the garage for ABT, Lucas di Grassi, shocker of a season by all accounts. Beaten by several one-off drivers, what did he finish in the championship? Was sort of 25th out of a 22 driver championship?”
Sam Smith then said: “He was 23rd. Yeah, 23rd in the championship. Two points, sorry, four points.”
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Lucas di Grassi won the 2016/17 Formula E title
Di Grassi has had a huge slump in form since his first few years in FE, where he established himself as a regular title contender.
The Brazilian finished third in the inaugural season in 2014/15 and runner-up to Sebastien Buemi the following year by just two points.
Di Grassi would get his title in 2016/17, after winning two races and scoring seven podiums to prevent Buemi from defending his title.
He would then do his record in reverse by finishing second and third in the next two seasons. Di Grassi has never finished above five of the standings since 2019.