Lola Yamaha ABT scores in Monaco double points for the first time: "Thanks to the whole team for a job well done"

For Lola Yamaha ABT, the Monaco "Double Header" was the most successful weekend in their Formula E history to date. Lucas di Grassi scored his first points of the season for the team on Saturday, before both drivers finished in the top 10 for the first time on Sunday.

The race weekend in Monaco got off to a poor start for Lola Yamaha ABT: Di Grassi was only able to secure 18th place on the grid in Saturday qualifying, while team-mate Zane Maloney was unable to take part in qualifying all together and started the race from 20th place. The Barbadian had problems with his brakes during the second free practice session, which ended just one hour before the start of qualifying, and hit the barriers. The subsequent repairs took too long, which is why Maloney was unable to take part in qualifying.

During the race, both drivers initially focussed on saving energy. Di Grassi activated attack mode in the final third of the race before pulling into the pits for his pit boost. The Brazilian crossed the finish line in eleventh place, but benefited from time penalties for Maximilian Günther and Nico Müller. As a result, he was ultimately classified in 8th position and scored his first points of the season.

Maloney in a difficult starting position after accident

Maloney completed his pit boost early on in the race. However, this turned out to be too early, as the Barbadian was handed a drive-through penalty shortly after for having had too much battery left at the start of the charging process. Although he worked his way forward during the race, in the end it was only enough for 13th place for the 22-year-old.
Di Grassi's four points after Saturday's race saw him overtake Maloney in the drivers' standings and take 19th place in the electric world championship. Previously, Maloney's one point from the season opener in Sao Paulo was the only point the Lola Yamaha ABT team had scored during the season so far.

Sunday: Team made history in Monaco

The team also struggled in qualifying on Sunday. Maloney again started from 20th place, di Grassi directly in front from 19th. On lap 8, di Grassi activated attack mode for the first time and made up four places. Maloney initially focussed on saving energy before activating the attack mode from 19th position on lap 17. Di Grassi followed shortly afterwards with his second Attack Mode activation. Maloney moved up to 12th place, with di Grassi just behind him in 13th place, before a yellow flag deprived both drivers of the opportunity to benefit more from the additional power. On lap 22, Maloney opted for his final minutes of attack mode, but was unable to make much progress towards the front of the field and finished the race in 12th position.

After the race, however, both drivers benefited from subsequent penalties against Jake Dennis and Nico Müller. As a result, di Grassi was ultimately classified ninth, while Maloney moved up to 10th place. This made Monaco the first race for Lola Yamaha ABT where the team scored points in both races on a "double-header" weekend. And Sunday's race was also the first time that both Lola Yamaha ABT drivers scored points in the same race.

Preston: "I’d like to thank the whole team for a job well done"

Although both drivers benefited from penalties to achieve this result, the team's upward trajectory was once again evident. Maloney had already reached the duel phase of qualifying both times at the previous race weekend in Berlin. This was the first time that the Barbadian had achieved this in his second Formula E season. The two Lola cars even led the field at times in Berlin, but then finished the race outside the points.

"The team worked extremely hard to achieve our first double points win in Formula E", said Lola Yamaha ABT Team Principal Mark Preston after Sunday's race. From a single point, Lola Yamaha ABT improved to eight points during the weekend in Monaco. The gap to DS Penske in ninth position is now only 26 points.

After the most successful weekend in the team's history to date, the focus is now turning to Sanya, where the next Formula E race will take place on 20 June 2026.