For over a decade, Lucas di Grassi has been the heartbeat of Formula E. From winning the championship's inaugural race at the 2014 Beijing E-Prix right through to his final weekend in London, the Brazilian has lived every single chapter of the all-electric series, navigating the highs, the lows, and the fierce championship battles. Now, at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, the 42-year-old has made the definitive decision to retire from professional racing.
While motorsport fans will know him from stints in Formula One, The World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the GT World Cup, Formula E is where he truly left his mark, even helping develop the early GEN1 prototype machinery before the series officially began. Looking back on the human cost of a 24-year career, di Grassi reflected on the endless hours away from home, missing birthdays, weddings, and celebrations. Yet, his journey started with a stunning win in Beijing, inheriting the lead after a dramatic final-corner crash sent German Nick Heidfeld into the air and the barrier, while Nico Prost and Nicolas Prost watched their silverware vanish.
That chaotic start set the tone for a career defined by resilience and relentless battles. Three seasons later in Mexico City, di Grassi produced an absolute masterpiece. Starting 15th on the grid, his race looked dead after a first-lap collision damaged his rear wing and forced an early pit stop for repairs. Benefiting from an 18th-lap Safety Car, Audi brought him in for his mandatory stop to switch cars, leaving him to nurse his second battery across a staggering 28 laps. He executed an extreme energy-saving strategy while aggressively defending from Jean-Eric Vergne to snatch victory. Later that same year, he secured the 2016/17 Drivers' Championship in Montreal by finishing seventh, overcoming a 10-point deficit to Sebastien Buemi after the Swiss driver was hit with a 10-place grid penalty for a practice crash and battery replacement.
His path to the top had been entirely self-made, starting at his uncle’s kart shop in Interlagos before progressing through junior single-seaters, winning the Macau Grand Prix in 2005, finishing runner-up in the GP2 series, and reaching Formula One with Virgin in 2010. But after Audi exited Formula E at the end of 2021, a series of team moves brought turbulence. Following a single strong season with Venturi that included victory at the 2022 London E-Prix, Round 14, he opted to join Mahindra Racing—a choice he now calls his biggest career mistake. With team boss Dilbagh Gill departing right after his signing, he bounced through a CUPRA squad utilizing a difficult Mahindra powertrain before embarking on a new project with Lola, describing the grind as fighting for your life every single year.
The final curtain in London offered no fairytale finish for the Lola Yamaha ABT driver. Carrying a three-place grid penalty from Tokyo for failing to slow down under Red Flags, Saturday’s race saw him collect a five-second penalty for speeding under a Full Course Yellow before a technical failure on Lap 19 pitched him into the barriers. Sunday brought more heartbreak with a technical problem in Free Practice 3, a 20-place grid penalty converted into a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, and an electrical issue forcing his engineer to call him into retirement on Lap 18. Despite the brutal finale, a surprise victory in Shanghai earlier in the season provided one final, glorious trip to the top step of the podium.
Walking away from the paddock on Sunday evening, di Grassi admitted to feeling a mixture of sadness, happiness, and ultimate relief. He leaves the championship with no regrets, a stack of new projects waiting for him, and the absolute satisfaction of a duty well done.
