FE runner-up di Grassi hails Audi's "miracle" turnaround in 2017/18

Lucas di Grassi has labelled the Audi Sport Schaeffler Formula E squad’s recovery in 2017/2018 as a “miracle”,  after securing runner-up spot in the championship. 

Audi endured a terrible start to the season, scoring just two points finishes from the opening four events, while di Grassi was hampered by a series of reliability issues, only managing his first top 10 result of the campaign in Mexico. 

That spurred a remarkable turnaround for the season three champion, who went on to finish on the podium at each of the remaining seven races, winning on two occasions - including the inaugural Zurich race and New York City opener. 

di Grassi’s stunning second half of the 2017/18 campaign vaulted him up to second in the drivers’ standings as he finished one point ahead of DS Virgin’s Sam Bird, while Audi narrowly beat Techeetah to claim its first teams’ title. 

“I think [Jean-Eric] Vergne deserved the championship this year. He made no mistakes, he was very consistent, so congratulations to him and Techeetah,” di Grassi said.

“It shows that in Formula E, you need to do the job all around to make it happen. On my side, that's exactly what we did. 

"We were nowhere in the first races, we made mistakes but the car was already fast. It's nothing short of a miracle to get to second in the drivers’ standings - I'm very, very happy.

“It still turned out to be an exceptional season for me and also our team,” he added. “We never give up and winning the teams’ title after such an incredible comeback is the best proof of this.”

The Brazilian ultimately ended the season just 54 points behind champion Jean-Eric Vergne.