Di Grassi to hang up his helmet as Formula E’s founding star calls time

Lucas di Grassi, the Brazilian who has been the beating heart of Formula E since its very first lap, has announced that the 2025/26 campaign will be his last as a professional racing driver.

The 41-year-old, who became the first driver to put pen to paper for the fledgling all-electric series back in 2014, will draw the curtain on a career that has carried him from the suburbs of São Paulo to the principality of Monaco, and made him one of the defining figures of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Few drivers can claim to be quite so intertwined with the championship they race in. Di Grassi was not only the first to commit to the series; he also took victory in its inaugural race in Beijing in 2014 and was instrumental, behind the scenes, in shaping the prototype that ultimately became the GEN1 car. A decade on, his record reads 13 race wins, 41 podiums, four pole positions and 1,077 championship points, crowned by the 2016/17 drivers’ title following one of the most fiercely contested championship battles in the series’ history with Renault e.dams’ Sébastien Buemi.

Announcing his decision, di Grassi said: “After a lifetime dedicated to racing, 2026 will mark my final season as a professional racing driver and the beginning of a new chapter. Motorsport has been my life for as long as I can remember, giving me discipline and grit before I knew why I needed them, and purpose in moments when the road ahead was far from clear.

“From the suburbs of São Paulo to Monaco, racing shaped my life in ways I could never have imagined. It changed me profoundly as a driver, person, father, and human being. I gave everything I had to this sport, and in return, it gave me a life beyond anything I could have dreamed of.”

The Brazilian was at pains to thank those closest to him, paying tribute to his wife and children as well as the wider Formula E paddock that he has called home for fourteen years.

“I’d like to say a very special thank you to Formula E, where I have spent the last fourteen years surrounded by extraordinary people, people who started writing on napkins and created an amazing championship that I now consider my home,” he said. “This decision comes with emotion, but also with peace. Every great race has a final lap, and I want mine to be driven with the same intensity, commitment, and love that brought me here.”

Tributes from the championship’s leadership were quick to follow. Alejandro Agag, the series’ co-founder and chairman, described di Grassi as “not just a driver” but “part of the Formula E family”, adding: “From the inception of Formula E, which he helped shape, and the very first race in Beijing in 2014, Lucas has been a strong competitor and a fundamental part of the championship’s growth. His passion for electric racing has been invaluable to the series. While we will miss seeing him behind the wheel, his legacy as a World Champion and passion for innovation in sustainability lives on in Formula E.”

Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds was equally effusive, signalling that di Grassi’s involvement with the series is unlikely to end when he climbs out of the cockpit for the final time. “Lucas has been synonymous with Formula E since the very beginning,” Dodds said. “He hasn’t just raced, he has believed in the mission of electric mobility from day one, and his competitive spirit has helped drive this series forward to where it is today. While the end of this season will be a farewell from an incredible chapter behind the wheel, we fully expect to see Lucas remain closely involved in the championship going forward.”

Di Grassi himself has hinted that further announcements about his post-racing future are imminent, promising to “share more news with you soon about the bright future ahead”. For now, though, the focus remains on a final flourish on track, and, in the words of the man himself, on making sure his last lap is driven with the same intensity that defined the first.