Di Grassi to remain with ABT for third Formula E season

By May 20, 2016, 6:55 AM EDT
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BERLIN, Germany – Lucas di Grassi will remain with ABT Schaeffler Audi in Formula E next season after agreeing a new deal with the German team.

The current championship leader had been linked with a move to the incoming Jaguar operation for season three, but will extend his stint with ABT into a third campaign.

“I will stay with ABT,” di Grassi confirmed to NBC Sports in Berlin ahead of this weekend’s ePrix.

“There were some discussions before on how we continue together and how we could improve our development, improve the team, this and that.

“We reached an agreement, a very good agreement that I’m very happy with. I think we will improve as a team, I will improve as a driver, we have a very good package together.

“We are working very well now. There is no reason in season three to move teams.”

Di Grassi said that the deal was “100% done” before the team duly announced that he would be staying at ABT on Twitter.

Di Grassi confirmed that he has signed a one-year deal with the option of extending it depending on how season three goes.

“Let’s say we start with season three and depending on how season three goes, the involvement with manufacturers, how the championship shapes up, we have an option for a longer term partnership,” di Grassi said.

“But first we need to see how Formula E evolves as a championship, how ABT evolves as a team and how good our results are in season three.”

ABT also confirmed that Daniel Abt will be sticking with the team for next season also, confirming an unchanged line-up.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
IndyCar video game 2024
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”