Everything that went wrong in Lucas di Grassi’s farewell Formula E weekend

Di Grassi’s glittering career as a driver ended last weekend, but it wasn’t the kind of send-off he was hoping for

Lucas di Grassi endured a miserable final weekend in Formula E, with factors outside his control resulting in a double retirement in the London E-Prix.

Even as the main focus remained on the championship battle at the front, Di Grassi’s swansong was one of the biggest talking points in London, as the Brazilian prepared to hang up his helmet after a brilliant career spanning over two decades.

Saturday troubles

Carrying a three-place grid penalty from Tokyo for failing to slow down under red flags, Di Grassi started Saturday’s first race from the back of the pack. A five-second time penalty for speeding under a Full Course Yellow, which was coincidentally caused by team-mate Zane Maloney, dealt an early setback, leaving him last after his pitstop.

But on lap 19, his race came to a premature end, as a technical issue sent him straight into the barriers at Turn 9, with no brakes to stop the car. A virtual safety car was subsequently deployed, which played into the hands of eventual race winner Pascal Wehrlein, among others.

A nightmare farewell

On Di Grassi’s final day as a Formula E driver, things went from bad to worse. The 42-year-old was forced to stop on track in FP3 with a technical issue, requiring the entire rear section and the battery to be replaced.

This meant he had to sit out qualifying and hope the Lola mechanics could repair the car in time for the season finale. His team worked hard to get the car ready, and Di Grassi took to the grid to start his farewell race. However, having exceeded his allocation of inverters (MCU) for the season, he was hit with a 20-place grid penalty, which had to be converted into a 10-second stop-and-go.

At this point, Di Grassi would probably have been happy simply to finish the race and celebrate his career on the cooldown lap. However, as it turned out, he couldn’t even make it to the chequered flag, with his engineer instructing him on the team radio to stop the car after 18 laps due to an electric problem.

The crowd erupted in cheer when Di Grassi stepped out of the car to retire, with the TV cameras focused on him even as the championship battle raged on at the front.

In many ways, Di Grassi had already secured a fairytale ending to his final Formula E season with his surprise victory in Shanghai just two months ago. So, while the London finale was a huge disappointment, he left the paddock on Sunday night with his head held high.

“So, the last race of my career in Formula E is done,” said Di Grassi, who departs the championship after 14 wins, 42 podiums and the 2016-17 title.

“It was not a dream finish, the car had an electrical problem and I had to stop at the end of the straight. However, I’m very happy to have had these two years with Lola. Thank you very much to the engineers, the mechanics and the management for all the support and for everything we built in these two years.

"Never forget we were the fastest new team to achieve a podium and a victory in Formula E, so what we achieved with Lola will be in the history books. I really enjoyed these two years. We had ups and downs, and some very emotional moments but I made a lot of memories and a lot of friends, which I will keep in my heart forever.”

Di Grassi, who has been a huge advocate of electric mobility, is set to take on a new role in the coming months that would keep him in Formula E in a different capacity.