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The ABT family is “together again” and is ready to attack Season 9 (and the new cars) head-on.
Season 9 of Formula E will prove difficult for every team. Heading into unknown territory is very difficult. Considering the complete shakeup that the Gen3 era will bring, it’s understandable that some teams will want consistency. That’s exactly what ABT Cupra have done.
Not only has the team come back to the sport (which is hard to do in itself) but they’ve come back during a time of massive change. Gen3 is radically different to what ABT (and all other teams) has experienced before.
So, to keep some consistency, ABT decided on a driver lineup they were familiar with. This appears to be a smart decision as driver Müller stated that ABT will be “underdogs” so having consistency in any way will be helpful for progress.
Robin Frijns and Nico Müller were part of the Audi Sport ABT team in DTM. The pair were teammates at ABT for three years. The family is back together, just in a different motorsport series.
Is it a family?
It’s certainly a close-knit team with a lot of history, but, can you really call it a family?
Yes, Robin Frijns did just that.
It’s like a huge family and I’m happy to be part of it.
Frijns is clearly a fan of the team.
“I’ve known ABT for quite some time. I drove with them in DTM together with Nico (Mueller), so I’m happy to be back with the team – it’s one I’ve loved from day one.”
Nico Müller shares this view too. “To come back as a group, together with Robin, is exciting and very motivating as the team has such a successful history in the championship”.
How will the team do?
Müller spoke about how coming back to the sport for Season 9 is unusual as every team will struggle a little bit.
It’s very hard to put a perspective on things and gauge where we’re at compared to everybody else – everyone is starting from [a] blank sheet of paper.
However, neither Frijns nor Müller are getting ahead of themselves as they know they are at a disadvantage coming into the sport as a “new” team (despite having a long history in Formula E).
Müller said, “We have to be realistic, though and there are some very strong, very big teams we’re going up against”.
Frijns echoed this view by saying “We might struggle a bit at the beginning we might struggle a bit given the issues we’re having at the moment”.
The first ePrix is on the 14th of January and is in Mexico City. Will ABT Cupra live up to their ‘underdog’ status?
Feature Image Credit: FormulaE.com