Mexico City: A tough experience
- Opener in Mexico City: while Nico Müller managed a 14th place finish.
- His teammate Robin Frijns retired right at the start of the race after a collision. The Dutchman suffered a fracture to his hand
The ABT CUPRA team had a tough start of the season in Mexico City. While the result on the track was modest from the team’s point of view, the unique backdrop including its enthusiastic fans, gives optimism for the rest of the season.
“A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. Today the ABT CUPRA Team had its first Formula E race in Mexico City. We still have a long way to go, but today we did our first step. I want to congratulate Nico and Robin. I wish Robin a good recovery and a quick come back to see him soon on the racetrack”.
“The energy of the crowd at the racetrack was amazing. Full of young people having fun with this disruptive racing format. This is the future of motorsport”. says Wayne Griffiths, CEO of CUPRA.
“From a sporting point of view, it was the expected difficult start to the season in a championship that we know well, but which is starting under completely different circumstances this year”, says team principal Thomas Biermaier.
In all the practice sessions, it was obvious to the team led by Robin Frijns and Nico Müller that the tight testing schedule and short preparation for the comeback will require a catch-up.
In qualifying, Müller and Frijns finished 18th and 19th, then Müller made up four places in the race. “The entire team and also myself learned an enormous amount this weekend – we’ll take that as a positive takeaway,” says Nico Müller.
“When we get home, it’s on to data analysis and then into the simulator, because fortunately the next race is only two weeks away.”
The second stop on the Formula E calendar is Diriyah in Saudi Arabia, where two races will be held on January 27 and 28. With the unique audience and a perfect organization, Mexico was the perfect place for the season opener. The ABT CUPRA team is taking a lot of knowledge, data and experience and with all this information it will take the next step already in Diriyah.
CUPRA experienced an emotional Formula E debut: The brand activated its partnership with ABT with more than 100 guests in its own lounge, international journalists from around the world, the UrbanRebel Racing concept in the Fan Village and eye-catching branding along the track. As many as four members of the board, including CEO Wayne Griffiths, followed the Mexico City E-Prix 2023 on site.
