Team champions on the podium. In the photo from left: Lucas di Grassi, Prof. Peter Gutzmer (Chief Technology Officer at Schaeffler), Allan McNish (Team Director Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler), Daniel Abt and Georg FW Schaeffler (Shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG)

Winning the team title crowns four successful years for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team in Formula E. After a third and two second places in the previous three seasons, a furious comeback will be achieved in the final of the fourth season at the two final races in New York Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt are 33 points behind in two points .

With the team's second double victory of the season - a new record in Formula E - the team already laid the foundation on Saturday and reduced the gap to only five points to the leading Techeetah team. 43 laps in the Brooklyn district across from the Manhattan skyline will form the ultimate showdown for the team rating on Sunday. Already on Saturday, Jean-éric Vergne (Team Techeetah) crowned himself with a fifth place to succeed Lucas di Grassi in the drivers' standings. Techeetah vs. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler will then be in direct duels in the last race of the season 2017/2018 to the team crown. Di Grassi and Abt start just behind the two rivals from fourth and fifth and turn the team standings upside down during the race. In the end, Lucas di Grassi takes second place, crowning himself Vice Champion and Daniel Abt third, heading another point for his fourth fastest race lap of the season. With four podium finishes and two fastest race laps on the final weekend, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler brings a total of 78 of the maximum possible 94 points - and thus creates the almost impossible, the title in the team ranking.



"Unbelievable, we come here with an almost unrepeatable residue and turn that still. Team Champion - we could not be happier. We were close to each season and now we have this trophy in our trophy cupboard, "says Prof. Peter Gutzmer, Chief Technology Officer at Schaeffler. "Now we're putting the first generation Formula E cars into the museum and looking back on an extremely successful time as the best team."



In the first four seasons of Formula E, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler plays a major role in the statistics books. No team occupy more podium finishes in the 45 races so far, namely 35. Eleven of them alone will account for 2017/2018. Never before has a team achieved more in one season. The top three series of Lucas di Grassi between this year's events in Mexico City and New York leads to the absolute team record of seven podium finishes in a row in a season. In Rome, Paris and Berlin, di Grassi and Abt set the record for the fastest race laps of a team at one go. The Berlin event goes down in history anyway: Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler is the first team to score 47 points with a double victory, pole position and the fastest race lap. Abt succeeds as the only second driver in Formula E the unusual "triple" of victory, pole and fastest race lap. With four fastest race laps, the 25-year-old also sets the record in 2017/2018. Another unforgotten highlight of course remains the title win by Lucas di Grassi in the 2016/2017 season.



The Audi e-tron FE04 incorporates technology "made by Schaeffler". Together with Audi, Schaeffler engineers developed the heart of the vehicle: the combination of engine and transmission. Schaeffler is the official technology partner of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team in the innovative electric racing series. Schaeffler has been emphasizing its position as a pioneer of electromobility on the racetrack since the first season of 2014/2015. Since opening the technical regulations for the second season 2015/2016, specialists from Schaeffler are developing the drive train for the deployment car of the only German team. For Schaeffler, Formula E is one of many fields of activity to work on a visionary and sustainable mobility for tomorrow.



As part of the Formula E finals, the globally operating technology group also provided a glimpse into the future of Formula E and invited nearly 300 guests on Saturday evening - including the German ambassador to the USA. Emily Haber and Georg FW Schaeffler, shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG - on one of the typical New York rooftops and showed a prototype of the spectacular new Audi e-tron FE05, in which once again jointly developed drive technology from Schaeffler and Audi is used. The first race in December in Riyadh / Saudi Arabia heralds the second era in Formula E.