Lucas di Grassi has confirmed that he will bring his professional racing career to a close at the end of the 2025-26 Formula E season. For the all-electric championship, that means losing one of its true originals: a driver who was there from the start and helped turn the series into a credible part of the motorsport landscape.
La Formule E en un clic is about to lose one of its most recognisable names. That matters because the championship’s early growth relied on drivers willing to back electric racing before it had fully established its place, let alone its audience.
A retirement announced with plenty of season still to run
Di Grassi chose Berlin to make the news official, saying simply that 2026 will be his final season as a professional driver. He is not stepping away immediately. Instead, he will see out the current campaign with Lola before the final rounds in London on 15 and 16 August.
That detail gives the announcement real sporting weight. Formula E is close-run by nature, so a farewell still in progress is not just an off-track footnote. It becomes part of the season itself, and that adds a little extra interest to the closing rounds.
One of the drivers who backed electric racing from day one
Di Grassi’s place in Formula E history goes well beyond the results sheet. He was the first driver to commit to the series when it began in 2014, and he won the championship’s inaugural race in Beijing. In simple terms, he helped write the first chapter.
He has also competed in every season of the championship, which is no small feat in a still-evolving category that has had to balance technical change with sporting credibility. While many drivers came and went, di Grassi remained a constant presence.
A strong record, even if the final years were tougher
He is not just a pioneer, either. Di Grassi is one of Formula E’s most successful drivers, having claimed the 2016-17 title with Abt and taken 13 victories in the series. In a championship where margins are tight and fortunes can turn quickly, that is an impressive return.
But the picture has been less rosy recently. Since 2023, his best championship finish has been 15th, and he has failed to score in the opening six races of the 2025-26 season with Lola. It is a reminder that even the most established names eventually face the same realities as everyone else: age, form and a field that never stops renewing itself.
A calm exit, rather than a dramatic farewell
In his announcement, di Grassi spoke with clear emotion but no obvious bitterness. He referred to a life spent in competition, to racing as something that shaped him long before he fully understood its significance, and to a decision made with his family. The tone was measured, which feels entirely in keeping with his career.
It also says something about Formula E itself. This is a championship that grew thanks not only to engineers and organisers, but to drivers who genuinely bought into the project. Di Grassi has thanked the series for the past 14 years, underlining that electric racing has always been about more than battery technology and lap times. Belief has mattered, too.
An ambassador for more than Formula E alone
Limiting di Grassi’s career to electric single-seaters would overlook a broader and very respectable racing CV. He finished runner-up in the World Endurance Championship in 2016 with Audi, in what was his third and final full WEC campaign, and he also took three podium finishes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the German manufacturer.
Before all that, he raced in Formula 1 with Virgin Racing in 2010, before losing his seat to Jérôme d’Ambrosio for 2011. It is hardly a straight line to the top, but then few drivers have careers that neat. Di Grassi has had to build his reputation the hard way, step by step.
What his departure says about Formula E now
The announcement matters beyond one driver’s personal decision. It marks the gradual passing of the series’ founding figures, the ones who helped give Formula E legitimacy when it was still viewed with caution, if not outright scepticism, by parts of the motorsport world.
Jeff Dodds, Formula E’s chief executive, put it well when he said di Grassi did more than race: he believed in the electric mobility mission from the outset. That is why his departure carries real significance. Not just because of what he achieved on track, but because of what he represented in the wider story of the championship.
A final run that will be watched for more than the points
Di Grassi’s next move has not yet been disclosed. For now, the interest lies in how he handles the closing stretch of his career. Some drivers find a final flourish; others simply want a dignified end. Either way, his remaining races will be watched with a little more context than usual.
Formula E, in turn, loses one of its most enduring names. And for fans, the significance is broader than one retirement: it is the end of an era in which a true pioneer could still stand in for the identity of the whole championship.
Lucas di Grassi’s Formula E departure in brief
- Lucas di Grassi will end his professional racing career after the 2025-26 Formula E season.
- He was the first driver signed for the series when it launched in 2014.
- He won the first race in Formula E history, in Beijing.
- His Formula E record includes one world title and 13 wins.
- Recent seasons have been more difficult, with 15th his best championship result since 2023.
- His plans after racing have not yet been announced.
