After leaving championship-winning team DS Techeetah just days after it scooped the title in New York City last season, Andre Lotterer joined new entrants TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team for his third campaign in the all-electric series. Despite claiming he’s “taken a step back,” the seasoned driver explains why he has “all the ingredients” he needs to clinch his first Formula E win.
“It’s a step back in a way for me to go from a championship winning team, in the short term,” says Andre Lotterer at pre-season testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain. “But maybe I can do two steps forward once we get everything sorted out because I believe in Porsche and the whole team.”
“It’s probably the best structure out there to have everyone under one roof and I have all the ingredients you can imagine to win but it’s just a case of putting it all together and that will take time because Formula E is about experience.”
After two seasons with Franco-Chinese team DS Techeetah, where Lotterer partnered with two-time champion Jean Eric-Vergne, the seasoned driver managed to secure four podiums. Despite no win to his name, Lotterer remained in contention for the title well into the 2018/19 season until his chances evaporated ahead of the final few rounds.
Now back with new entrants Porsche – the team he raced with at the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2017 – Lotterer is on the hunt his former teammate’s championship crown and, of course, his first win in the series. But despite the team’s reputation for motorsport, the championship hopeful is prepared to bide his time.
“We’re not at the level I was at [with DS Techeetah this time last year], at least not on this track.
“It’s a promising base – we didn’t have a very smooth day of running – I didn’t use all of my attack runs and I hit the wall a bit, so hopefully we will have a cleaner day tomorrow when we can chase more speed and go to Riyadh with a bit more confidence.
“My aim is to win in Riyadh – we’re here to win just like everyone else. But we will go there and do the best we can. If we can get a podium, then that would be great.
“I feel confident about my driving at that track and hopefully we can translate that into a win,” added the German.
With just over a month until the season opener in Saudi Arabia on November 22, Lotterer will be looking forward to going up against his former teammate as all 22 other drivers look to gain an early lead in a new season of Formula E. Watch as the most competitive line up in the history of the sport goes wheel-to-wheel in the historic surrounds of Diriyah.