– You would actually think that driving a car at the limit is the greatest thing for a racing driver and something that brings him a lot of fun and fulfillment. However, now a former Formula 1 driver is making headlines who, after ending his career, says: “I don’t enjoy racing.”
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This statement was made by Lucas di Grassi, former teammate of Timo Glock at Formula 1 newcomer Virgin and former Formula E champion. For the Brazilian, racing was merely a profession, as he says.
“Many people think we have fun when we drive a race car. I have fun with my hobbies: when I can do what I want, when I want, and as long as I want. Racing is not a hobby,” he emphasizes in a media round. “I never enjoyed driving a race car.”
Because for him, driving was simply part of his job – one that constantly brought a lot of pressure and sacrifices. In the car, di Grassi always had to perform, and when he was in the car, he also felt the adrenaline and competitive spirit. “I really wanted to win. But I never had fun.”
“Constantly sick” for the sport
Of course, a racing driver’s job involves more than just getting into the car and pressing the gas pedal. A racing driver has to adjust his whole life to his activity and subordinate everything to it.
Days in advance, di Grassi had to adapt to time zones and pay attention to the right nutrition. “I couldn’t lead a normal life. And all because of racing,” he says. It was especially intense in Formula 1.
When he completed his only Grand Prix season at Virgin in 2010, he was 15 kilograms overweight. “It’s no fun to skip dinner and go to bed hungry because you have to lose weight to be competitive,” he describes.
“I even cut metal parts out of the zipper to save weight. I took the insoles out of my racing shoes to save weight. That’s why I was constantly sick. That’s no fun. That’s dedication and that’s a profession.”
Formula 1 driver and Formula E champion
Although the Brazilian apparently had little joy in his profession, he made it far: Di Grassi finished in the top 3 in the predecessor series GP2 for three consecutive years and was rewarded with a promotion to Formula 1.
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Alongside Timo Glock, he completed one year for the then newcomer Virgin, which, like its competitors Lotus and HRT, was hopeless and remained without points. After 19 races, the chapter of the top class was already over for him.
In the following years, di Grassi made a name for himself mainly in Formula E, which he helped build and in whose first seasons he was a central figure. Di Grassi not only won the very first race in Beijing but also the championship for the German Abt team in 2016-2017.
Recently, however, he drove for rather less competitive teams at the back of the field and announced his retirement from active racing at the end of the Formula E season, which ended nine days ago with Pascal Wehrlein’s second world title in London.
What di Grassi will miss – and what he won’t
Surely the Brazilian will remain involved in motorsport in some form, but no longer behind the wheel – which is also a relief for him.
“I will not miss the hours in the simulator,” he says. “I will not miss spending 150 nights a year in crappy hotels and eating mostly German food. Sorry to the Germans.”
And above all, he will not miss the time away from his family, after having missed so many important moments in recent years.
Nevertheless, there are of course some things he will look back on with nostalgia: “I will miss the competition. I will miss that feeling when you actually achieve a win or a title.”
But it’s not about fun: “It’s about the feeling you have when you win. That’s a completely different approach. I think people from the outside don’t understand that. That’s exactly what I will miss.”
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