A sensation at the Shanghai E-Prix: Lucas di Grassi storms to a maiden victory for Lola Yamaha ABT!

The second race of the Shanghai E-Prix offered fans in the stands and watching on TV all the drama of Formula E: Mixed weather with rain, formation laps behind the safety car, a full-course yellow phase and constant tactical manoeuvring with Attack Mode and tyre pressure.

In the end, victory went to a man whom very few would have tipped before the weekend: Lucas di Grassi. The Brazilian capitalised perfectly on the chaos and secured the very first victory for the fledgling Lola Yamaha ABT team.

"It wasn’t always easy, but we're doing this to win," said di Grassi after the race. "I’m very emotional. It’s been four years of hard work with a car that wasn’t competitive. I’m so grateful to the team; we got everything right. It was a really challenging race. We took the right risk with the tyres and switched to Attack Mode at exactly the right time."

The key to success lay above all in a bold tactical decision shortly before the start, as di Grassi later revealed: "Jean-Eric Vergne and I were at the back of the field. We spoke before the race about whether to go for a wet or dry strategy. I had to make a decision and took the risk. In the end, it paid off – we still had to do our job, but the race went our way."

The team’s upward trajectory had already become apparent in recent races through steady improvements in form. Nevertheless, a leap right to the top of the podium was considered a real sensation in the highly competitive Gen3 field.

The perfect farewell for "Mister Formula E"

For di Grassi, this triumph brings things full circle in spectacular fashion. The veteran, who had only recently announced his retirement at the end of the season, crowns his legendary career in the electric world championship with his 14th race victory.

The visibly moved Brazilian was understandably emotional in the official winner’s interview after crossing the finish line: "I won the very first race in China and now the last one (for me) too. It’s just absolutely brilliant!"

With this historic success, di Grassi once again underlines his status as an icon of the racing series, which he has shaped like hardly any other driver since its inception in 2014. For Lola Yamaha ABT, this milestone is likely to provide the necessary momentum for the future, whilst di Grassi bids farewell with a truly spectacular finale.