Lucas di Grassi could move into a management role at Lola or help shape future Formula E regulations after he hangs up his helmet at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The Brazilian announced last week that he would retire as a professional driver after a glittering career spanning Formula 1, the World Endurance Championship and Formula E, among other categories.
But while he may not be on the grid at the start of Formula E’s highly anticipated Gen4 era, he intends to remain closely involved and could take up a position where he can directly influence the championship’s future.
Few drivers have wielded as much influence beyond the cockpit as di Grassi, whose story is closely intertwined with Formula E’s. As its first official driver and race winner, he has been a constant presence in the series and one of its most vocal supporters. He has also been a staunch advocate of electric mobility and the transition away from combustion engines.
Formula E is set to make a big leap at the end of this year with the introduction of the Gen4 car, which will be capable of producing up to 800bhp and lapping at speeds not too far from Formula 1.
While any driver would relish the chance to race such machinery, di Grassi sees it as the ideal moment to shift his focus towards making an impact beyond driving duties.
“It was a decision that I took after thinking about it for a very long time,” the 41-year-old told Motorsport.com.
“I decided to call it this year because of the transition to Gen4. With this massive transition within the team and within the championship, there is a lot of value I could add outside of the car than racing the car.
“I could still add value inside the car, but I think I could add more value outside and focusing my efforts on building something bigger and using this transition as leverage to start the second phase of my career, better than doing another year or two years [driving the car].
“I already won a title, I already won many races. I would rather start the next 20 years as early as I can and work from there.”
Lucas di Grassi, Lola Yamaha ABT Formula E Team Lola-Yamaha T001
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
After Lola’s takeover by Till Bechtolsheimer, the brand returned to motorsport in 2024, partnering with the Abt team in Formula E.
While results have been far and few for Lola so far, given its rivals already had a two-year advantage with the development of the programme, the British marque can take advantage of a level-playing field in Gen4 to move up the front.
Di Grassi has already been involved in developing Lola’s Gen4 powertrain and could take on a bigger role within the company, particularly as it builds its own in-house operations after splitting with Abt.
At the same time, di Grassi could join Formula E and shape the very future of the series. He remains very optimistic about the championship’s potential and believes it could become the fastest series in the world with further technical innovations down the line.
Asked about his next move, di Grassi said: “One or the other. So either the team or the championship.
“I think there is a huge opportunity in Gen4 for the teams and championship. I also feel there is a need to make sure that with Gen5 we create the fastest motorsport car on the planet, so there is still a big step [to do] from Gen4 to Gen5.
“There are so many projects to do. From the championship to the team. I’m very glad that I’m together with Lola. So, creating a legacy together with Lola [could be an option], so if I could help the team as well. I’m still developing the Gen4 [powertrain].
“I’m still finishing the cycle, I’m still going to be close to the team for the next months to come. Also, it’s a very interesting challenge to be with the team which is last in the grid now, to be one of the top runners. That’s a very cool challenge to do.
“It’s not my focus right now. My focus right now is to do well in the next nine races. It will be a dream come true to be able to win one of these 11 races or do another podium like we did last year, to finish on the high, and we’re gonna work very hard to do that.”
Lola team principal Mark Preston left the door open for di Grassi to remain involved at the squad after retirement, revealing that discussions had already taken place about what such a role could look like.
“He’s been thinking about [when to retire] for a while and it’s pretty obvious he’s been thinking about what he does next,” Preston told Motorsport.com. “We’ve been talking about what he might do continuing with Lola.
“I’m not super surprised [by his decision to retire], although he’s obviously done an amazing amount for this championship. I’ve raced against him for many years [while working with Techeetah], so it’s always good to be racing with him now, and we’ll look forward to seeing what he does next.
“He’s put a lot into the championship, so hopefully he can continue supporting us as we go forward as well.”
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