Lucas di Grassi will make a one-off appearance for Audi in Sao Paulo

At one time, the DTM was the preferred track for drivers who no longer had a seat in F1. Now, they are increasingly turning towards endurance racing. Thus, Lucas di Grassi, a test driver for Pirelli, will participate in the Brazilian round of the World Endurance Championship as part of Audi’s official team.

If F1 teams can alternate their test drivers on Fridays for financial compensation, the endurance racing format allows for the occasional addition of a driver for certain events. Thus, the former Marussia driver will support Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish during the upcoming 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, while the two main drivers will compete in the rest of the season together.

Audi will thus use the nationality of the Sao Paulo native to promote itself in a country that is set to become one of the primary automobile markets in the coming years: “We are thrilled to provide spectators, the media, our Audi Brazil importer, and, of course, the FIA World Endurance Championship with a special connection to this destination. We offer Lucas di Grassi the opportunity to race at home in endurance racing and compete for victory in the Audi R18,” commented Wolfgang Ullrich, head of competition for the company with the rings.

Endurance is therefore very much in vogue among former F1 drivers, as demonstrated by the crews fielded by Toyota for its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The world’s leading manufacturer had thus named former drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Alexander Wurz, who also serves as a personal coach for Williams drivers, and the current third driver for Red Bull, Sébastien Buemi. This allowed the Swiss driver to maintain race-level sensations at the highest level to give himself the opportunity to bounce back into F1 when an opportunity arises.

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr