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Di Grassi "can risk much more" than rivals in Punta ePrix

Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi has promised a maximum-attack approach to this weekend’s round in Uruguay after a season plagued by technical issues.

Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

The Audi Sport driver currently lies 19th in the points with only seven scoring opportunities left.

“It’s actually the first time ever in my championship position that I can risk everything,” Di Grassi told Motorsport.com.

“I have very little to lose. All the other championships I was in the other position – I had a lot to lose so I could not risk so much.

“I’m confident – in two races here I did two podiums. The car is fast, we have the fix now allowed by the FIA, we have no penalties – so we already start the weekend in a completely different mood from Mexico.

“So for me, again, I just need to make sure that I look at my own car, my own performance – I can risk much more than the other guys.”

Di Grassi’s ninth place in the previous round in Mexico City - after he had started at the back owing to a grid penalty for an inverter change - earned him his first points of the season.

Damage from an on-track collision and technical delays ruled him out of contention in the opening Hong Kong double-header, and he failed to finish in Marrakesh and Santiago after further issues with his car’s inverter.

He is now 78 points behind championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne, but remains in theoretical contention for the title with 175 points available for winning the remaining rounds.

That is a distant prospect, but Di Grassi finished third in Punta del Este in 2014 and second in ’15, and believes he can go one better this time around on the challenging seafront circuit.

“This track is super specific,” he said. “The chicanes are super, let’s say they are not technical, they are just about how well you cut the kerbs. That defines, more or less, your laptime.

“So you really try for it and things can go wrong, but it’s a matter of risk-taking.

“So we’re going to take a lot of risks, we’re going to push. The car is fast, and we hope we can get our big points podium finish this race.”

Stuart Codling / Alex Kalinauckas

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