Lucas di Grassi
[6] Di Grassi made his car racing debut in 2002, driving in the Formula Renault 2.0 Brazil, finishing the season with two victories, and placed seven points behind the series victor Sérgio Jimenez.Di Grassi took one victory and stood on the podium eleven times, en route to second in the championship, behind the more experienced Danilo Dirani,[9] despite missing the season's final six races due to him injuring his neck in an accident he sustained in Curitiba.Di Grassi won both races at the Thruxton meeting but the remainder of the season was difficult for him and could only muster eighth in the final standings in spite of good qualifying performances.[10] Di Grassi graduated to the Formula 3 Euro Series in 2005 with Manor Motorsport[10] but started the season with a major accident at the Hockenheimring where he attempted to pass Giedo van der Garde but clipped the latter's rear-left wheel.[9] He took a third-place finish at the Masters of Formula 3,[12] and won the end-of-the season Macau Grand Prix from third on the grid by passing Robert Kubica shortly after a safety car restart in the closing stages of the event.[14] While his local rival Nelson Piquet Jr. battled Lewis Hamilton for the championship,[9] di Grassi struggled with a noncompetitive car and could only muster eight points throughout the course of the season.[16] He scored his first win of the year in the fourteenth round of the season at Istanbul, and took the lead of the championship,[17] but Glock moved back ahead of him when he won the sprint race at the same track.[20] Glock took the victory in the sprint race and earned one additional point for the fastest lap to clinch the title while di Grassi struggled throughout to finish outside of the top ten.[21] Di Grassi had no intentions of remaining in GP2 for 2008 as due to his relationship with Renault he was developing the series's new Dallara GP2/08 chassis in addition to his Formula One test and reserve driver duties.Two wins followed and he briefly looked set for a surprising championship challenge, before a final lap collision with Giorgio Pantano (who was disqualified for the incident) at Spa-Francorchamps effectively ended di Grassi's hopes.[10] Di Grassi sought to race in Formula One in 2009 with Renault and speculation arose in the motor sport press over him replacing fellow countryman Nelson Piquet Jr. after the latter's poor performance compared to his teammate Fernando Alonso.[10] Di Grassi was announced as one of two drivers of the brand new Virgin Racing team on 15 December 2009 and would be partnered by his former GP2 Series rival Timo Glock in a deal predicted by BBC Radio Sheffield.[35] Further issues arose in Spain as di Grassi battled with car setup and was the last driver to finish the race,[35] and retired early in Monaco due to his right-rear wheel becoming loose at his pit stop.[35] A further retirement followed at the Hockenheimring from a damaged rear suspension from hitting a kerb too hard,[37] and had further difficulty at the Hungaroring when he was put a lap down due to a loose wheel but still managed to finish.[38] At the inaugural Korean Grand Prix, di Grassi lost control of his car while trying to overtake Hispania driver Sakon Yamamoto and crashed into the barriers on the 26th lap.[35] At the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, di Grassi chose to make a pit stop for new tyres during a safety car period and managed them until the end of the race.[51] In November, di Grassi returned to Macau to compete in the GT Cup, driving the AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3, taking second after battling Edoardo Mortara for the win.[53] Audi announced in January 2013 that di Grassi was selected to race for the team in the opening round of the 2013 American Le Mans Series, the 12 Hours of Sebring.21 RCM Motorsport Chevrolet Sonic alongside Thiago Camilo for the opening round of the Stock Car Brasil season at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace; the duo retired on the first lap due to a clutch failure.1 Audi's fuel injectors and turbocharger were replaced, di Grassi, Kristensen and Duval took second at Le Mans three laps adrift of André Lotterer, Benoît Tréluyer and Marcel Fässler's winning car.21 RCM Motorsport Chevrolet Sonic with Thiago Camilo in the season-opening Stock Car Brasil round which in 2016 was held at the Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba; the duo came fourteenth.[73] Di Grassi's WEC campaign started badly when his car's hybrid system failed at the season-opening 6 Hours of Silverstone,[74] but recovered to take advantage of problems striking the LMP1 field to secure his first outright victory in the series at Spa-Francorchamps.[78] The trio matched Porsche for pace at the 6 Hours of Nürburgring and ended the duel in second,[79] but a wheel bearing failure in Mexico City put the car out of contention.[83] He, Jarvis and Duval dominated the 6 Hours of Bahrain to win Audi's final World Endurance Championship race,[84] and their efforts throughout the season earned them second in the drivers' standings with 147.5 points.[86] In October 2017, di Grassi was announced as one of sixteen drivers selected to participate in the Audi Sport TT Cup series-ending Race of Legends at the Hockenheimring.[88] The following month, di Grassi returned to Macau for the first time in five years to compete in the FIA GT World Cup in an Audi R8 LMS fielded by HCB-Rutronik Racing.[117][118] During the off season, di Grassi became the first person to drive an electric car on the Arctic polar ice cap in an area of Northern Greenland and produced a video clip that promotes awareness of global warming.[119] He opened the first three races of the 2016-17 season with a second place at the inaugural Hong Kong ePrix and followed this up with a fifth position in Marrakesh and clinched another podium in the Buenos Aires round with a third-place finish.He had a poor start to his campaign, scoring no points in the first four races due to multiple problems relating to his car's powertrain, but took his first top-ten finish of the season at the Mexico City round, coming ninth.[147] The Independent journalist Samuel Lovett described di Grassi as "a vibrant, forceful personality" who brings "colour and intrigue to a world dominated by Kubrick-esque machines, big data and space-age technology.
Portuguese namefamily nameSão PauloFormula E2014–15Lola Yamaha ABTFIA Platinum2017–2018VenturiMahindra2016–17FIA World Endurance ChampionshipFormula OneBrazilianVirginChampionshipsPole positionsFastest laps2010 Bahrain Grand Prix2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix24 Hours of Le MansStock Car BrasilGP2 SeriesF3 Euro SeriesBritish F3F3 SudamericanaBrazilian Formula Renault2016-17Macau Grand Prixracing driverformula racing2016–17 Formula E Championshipendurance racingFormula Renault 2.0 BrazilFormula 3 Sudamericana2004 British Formula Three ChampionshipEuro SeriesTimo GlockVirgin RacingPirelliAudi Sport Team JoesteSkootr Championship (eSC)Polignano a MareItirapinaMonacoUnited Nations Environment ProgrammePortugueseEnglishItalianSpanishFrenchEngesaFormula A World ChampionshipSérgio JimenezDanilo DiraniCuritibaBritish Formula Three ChampionshipHitech RacingThruxtonFormula 3 Euro SeriesManor MotorsportHockenheimringGiedo van der GardeOscherslebenMasters of Formula 3Robert Kubicasafety carDurangoSergio HernándezNelson Piquet Jr.Lewis HamiltonRenault Formula OneART Grand Prix2007 seasonMichael AmmermülleriSportCampos Grand PrixSilverstone2008 GP2 SeriesIstanbulValenciawet tyresslick tyresgravel trapfastest lapCampos Racing2007 Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesBen HanleyGiorgio PantanoSpa-FrancorchampsFernando AlonsoRomain GrosjeanBruno SennaRoss BrawnHonda RA108Circuit de CatalunyaRubens BarrichelloRacing EngineeringDani ClosFédération Internationale de l'AutomobileSingapore Grand PrixMalaysian Grand PrixBBC Radio SheffieldJohn BoothThe Daily TelegraphThe GuardianAlan HenryBahrainAustraliaSepang2010 Belgian Grand PrixChinese Grand Prixpit laneKarun ChandhokclutchTurkish Grand PrixCosworthCanadaEuropean Grand PrixBritish Grand PrixsuspensionHungaroringBelgian Grand PrixHeikki KovalainenItalian Grand PrixJérôme d'Ambrosio