Cupra: acid test for Nico Müller in Valencia 🎥
PARTNERSHIPS Abt Cupra spent five days preparing for the new Formula E season at official test drives. It all started on January 14 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the heart of Mexico City.
During testing in Valencia, Spain, the Abt Cupra team with Nico Müller and Robin Frijns (gallery left) presented the ZF logo on the new generation of its race car for the first time. The technology group with its headquarters in Friedrichshafen will be Abt's technical partner and is working closely with the racing team on its Formula E comeback.
Thomas Biermaier, CEO Abt Sportsline and Team Principal Abt Cupra FE: "Abt and ZF have been working together for a long time in many racing series. That's why we're delighted that the two brands are forming a team in Formula E."
ZF is responsible for the driveline
As a partner of Mahindra Racing, ZF is responsible for the development of the powertrain which Abt, as a Mahindra customer team, is also using in the cars of Robin Frijns and Nico Müller this season.
Sascha Ricanek, Managing Director ZF Race Engineering: "Formula E is really taking off in the new season with more powerful cars and four new race tracks. We are therefore very proud that our electric ZF driveline will be used in Abt's return to Formula E."
Another company that Abt sports marketing boss Harry Unflath has brought on board is Südpack. The company is a leading manufacturer of high-performance films for packaging food, medical goods and non-food products as well as for technical applications. The joint test drives of all teams were also the dress rehearsal for the start of the season. From Valencia, all the racing cars and the entire equipment will go directly on their journey to Mexico.
Formula E team has adjusted well
Hans-Jürgen Abt, CEO Abt SE: "It's great to see how our Formula E comeback is becoming reality bit by bit. For Abt Cupra FE, the focus in Spain was not on fast lap times, but above all on the newly formed team settling in and practicing the cooperation with Mahindra more and more."
For Nico Müller and Robin Frijns, these were the first days in their race cars. While Frijns has also raced in Formula E in recent years, it's a bit of a comeback for his colleague.
Nico Müller: "It feels really good to be back in the Formula E paddock and among the Abt team. We've got on well as a team and have grown together more and more. The anticipation is rising."
