Formula E: Andre Lotterer fancies his title chances in epic finale

ByEurosport

Published 05/08/2020 at 09:41 GMT

TAG Heuer Porsche’s Andre Lotterer insists the level of competitiveness in Formula E gives him an equal opportunity of taking home the title during the most intense season finale in the history of motorsport as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship returns.

The all-electric racing series will return on August 5 with an unprecedented six races in nine days behind-closed-doors at the Berlin Tempelhof track to finish the sixth season as safely as possible following the 158-day hiatus during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The track layouts for the three double-headers on August 5-6, 7-8 & 12-13 will include the 'traditional' Tempelhof Airport track, a reversed-version and an extended course for the final two races.

Lotterer, who currently sits 12th in the drivers’ standings, finished second in the Diriyah E-Prix to secure a podium in his first race for his new team but the veteran has never taken the chequered flag first during his three seasons in Formula E.

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However, the German certainly knows how to win, with three victories at 24 Hours of Le Mans and a WEC driver’s title.

With Formula E famed for providing a level playing field among drivers to take victory, Lotterer pointed to his experience in endurance racing as giving him the edge.

“I am very optimistic of giving a good performance,” he said.

“Podiums are the target, but for me I am going for six wins. This is the target and I think it is achievable. We will continue to learn a few things in the first races as we are a new team, but why not go for it with a bang and immediately be at the front?

“I hope my endurance experience will pay off for Berlin. It will for sure be quite tiring with such a tight schedule, but we will try to prepare as well as possible with a lot of simulator work.

“In Formula E you do not usually get much time on the track, we always have a very short amount of time to show our performance, so in that sense there will be evolution.

Every driver will learn a lot (over the six races) and it will be interesting to see who evolves the best over these days.

André Lotterer (R)

Image credit: Getty Images

Antonio Felix da Costa currently leads the Drivers’ Championship in Lotterer’s former seat at DS TECHEETAH but with Formula E always being unpredictable - with every race having had a different winner so far this season - the standings remain tight at the top.

Mathematically every driver on the grid could still win the title after the nine-day finale, so even after an enforced five-month lay-off drivers will have to get into their rhythm quickly or see their title chances quickly slip away.

The drivers will return to a paddock with their Positively Charged campaign renewing a focus on a sustainable, inclusive and diverse environment but with the traditional competitive edge - something Lotterer can’t wait to return to.

“It was a very unusual situation for the whole world but now I can go back to doing what I love to do, and of course it is six home races in nine days for us and myself, so I am very excited,” said the 38-year-old.

“We learned a lot from the initial races as a team, and now we have had the time to use this experience wisely and productively to translate this information into a better performance.”

We know the different track layouts now, so we have tried to simulate everything and get back into the rhythm.

Watch the long-awaited return of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship live on Eurosport 2 on August 5 at 18:00 BST.

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