Podcast 381: Di Grassi desmistifica Max, se surpreende com Audi de Bortoleto e é sincero sobre Hamilton, F1 e F-E

·1 hr 13 min·5 clips

Di Grassi invites Max Verstappen to drive a Formula E car he says will soon be faster than Formula 1.

1. Motorsport.com Brasil's podcast 'Luzes Vermelhas Apagadas' episode 381 features Lucas di Grassi discussing Formula 1, Formula E, and Gabriel Bortoleto's season. 2. Lucas di Grassi is a veteran Brazilian racing driver who spent ten years at Audi, won the Formula E championship, and currently races for the Lola-Yamaha Formula E entry. 3. The episode's core thesis is whether Formula 1's 2025 hybrid regulations represent a genuine step backward in racing quality, and what that means for drivers like Max Verstappen. 4. Di Grassi argues that Max Verstappen's vocal complaints about the 2025 F1 cars are a combination of legitimate technical grievance and frustration at Red Bull no longer having the fastest car. 5. He says Verstappen is correct that Formula 1 should produce cars that are pushed to the absolute limit, but notes 'if he were winning, he would also be complaining — but a little less.' 6. Di Grassi praises Audi's early-season performance as the biggest surprise of 2025, saying even Audi's own engineers didn't expect to be ahead of Mercedes-powered Williams and Alpine. 7. He attributes Audi's success in part to cultural resilience built through WEC, Le Mans, and Formula E campaigns, and expresses personal gratitude given that most of his post-F1 career was with the brand. 8. When asked whether Bortoleto should take a hypothetical Ferrari seat, di Grassi answers immediately with 'I would go,' invoking Ayrton Senna's principle that the best driver wants the best car. 9. Di Grassi assesses Hamilton's start at Ferrari as benefiting from his experience with the tricky 2025 regulations, but concludes Ferrari should prioritise Leclerc because 'Leclerc is at his peak and Hamilton is not anymore.' 10. On the new F1 engine regulations, di Grassi says the current power unit is 'a setback for the combustion engine' and was designed as a negotiation tool to attract Audi and Porsche, noting Porsche ultimately did not enter. 11. Di Grassi calls for FIA to adopt a long-term category segmentation strategy, arguing that Formula E should develop electric efficiency, Formula 1 should pursue pure performance, and WEC should advance road-car technology — rather than all three categories drifting toward hybrid compromise. 12. He reveals that the hypercar WEC cars of today are slower than the LMP1 prototypes of 2016 despite a decade of technology advancement, citing annual budgets that exceeded current Formula 1 team spending. 13. Di Grassi announces his goal of making the next-generation Formula E car faster than a Formula 1 car on a qualifying lap at Monaco, and extends an on-air invitation to Verstappen to drive it. 14. On his own 2025 Formula E season, di Grassi candidly states the Lola-Yamaha car is the worst on the grid, sitting at zero points alongside Andretti, and blames the two-year homologation freeze that prevents mid-cycle development. 15. He describes the frustration of knowing where the energy efficiency deficit lies but being unable to implement fixes until the generation 4 car is homologated for season 13. 16. Di Grassi reveals that drivers sent a collective letter to the FIA calling for consistent stewards across all Formula E rounds, automated track-limit enforcement, and a more aviation-style approach to learning from officiating errors. 17. He describes a patented optical laser sensor mounted under race cars that automatically detects when a car crosses paint boundaries, triggering a programmatic power penalty — and says he offered the patent to the FIA at no cost. 18. The interview is conducted in Portuguese and has a conversational, candid tone, with di Grassi speaking at length without being interrupted, reflecting his comfort as a veteran insider. 19. This episode is best suited to Formula E followers, fans of Gabriel Bortoleto, and listeners interested in the technical and political governance of motorsport. 20. Listeners who prefer race commentary over technical regulation discussion, or who don't follow Formula E, may find sections of this episode slow.

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