Born in Minden, Germany, Rene Rast started karting professionally at the age of 10, competing in national competitions before winning the 2001 North German ICA Junior Kartcup. Making the switch isn’t quite like riding a bike, it transpires. “The team has been in Formula E since the very first day,” said Rast. Reigning DTM champion Rene Rast joins Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler to close out the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship. “It wasn’t, unfortunately, because when you learn a new car as a driver you still have to adapt to it. Das gab der Autobauer am Dienstag bekannt. Having such an extremely experienced team-mate like Lucas is invaluable – he’s the most successful in the series’ history, so what a team-mate to have.”. Rene Rast makes a full-time ABB FIA Formula E World Championship return for 2020/21 after an impressive six-race stint with the team at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport Circuit to round out Season 6. I was in practice and I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing for a moment. Rast’s adaptability is among his strongest attributes as a racing driver, as attested to by a DTM title in his rookie season – no mean feat. Rast was able to correct early mistakes and familiarise himself with new surroundings in double-quick time on his way to pace, points and a podium. I just had to take it!”, That Rast was also in a title fight with Audi in DTM – and still is, as he sits first in the running heading to the final round at the Hockenheimring – only added to the pressure on his Formula E return, and indeed on jumping back into the touring car post-Berlin. It has a big influence and you have to know how to treat it to be quick for one lap in qualifying as that sets you up for the whole weekend. As it happened, that quick-fire batch of races proved to be more a positive for someone jumping into the cockpit fresh, looking to learn fast and contribute effectively to the Audi cause. “He’s always someone to look up to because he’s a very quick and successful guy in whatever championship he’s raced in. Trotz seines Formel-E-Einstieges mit Audi bleibt die DTM eine Option. Januar ab 18:30 Uhr live in … To find out more view our privacy policy. “The most important thing for me to do was to understand the tire. “It was very similar for most of the drivers, at the time,” said the 34-year-old. The team told me he was half a percent lower on energy and I saw he was really trying to save energy at that corner, which is normally not made for overtaking. The first two or three races were like being thrown in at the deep end! The following year he ended second in the DTM standings despite dominating in the closing stages with six victories in a row. After that initial period, it was okay and I think that experience, and knowing how to adapt quickly, will help me going forward.”, With his name signed on the dotted line and testing in progress, Rast is more than eager to get his first full Formula E campaign underway proper. Audi and Rast have had a long-standing and successful partnership in DTM. "Rene hat bei seinen Auftritten in Berlin eindrucksvoll gezeigt, dass er sich in der Formel E wohlfühlt und gleichzeitig schnell und erfolgreich ist. “It changes the way you look through corners as the apex is blocked – it’s not easy. He was lifting very early and he sent me a bit of a present! Rene Rast makes a full-time ABB FIA Formula E World Championship return for 2020/21 after an impressive six-race stint with the team at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport Circuit to round out Season 6. “Starting in this World Championship for Audi is the next exciting chapter in my career and I am really looking forward to it.”, Mark the dates in your diary for Formula E's first season as an FIA World Championship, © FIA 2013-2019 - ALL CONTENT SUBJECT TO FIA APPROVAL, We use cookies to improve your experience. Der zweimalige DTM-Champion Rene Rast (34) wird bei Audi in der Formel E zur nächsten Saison der zweite Stammpilot neben Lucas di Grassi (36). Add to that, Formula E being all-new once again and I had to learn a lot of the systems and how the Gen2 car works. “Within a few hours I’d gone from Berlin to DTM practice and I had to adapt my whole body and mind to the new situation. A year later he won the German ICA Junior Kartcup. In his first full campaign in the German touring car championship in 2017, Rast's consistency across the year saw him secure his first title in his rookie season. Reigning DTM champion Rene Rast joins Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler to close out the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship. “In the same way, whenever I had a question, Lucas was not shy of giving me an answer which was very helpful. It was crazy!”. He’s a good racer, too. “I was in the simulator for many days and obviously, for me, there was also the DTM (German touring cars) running alongside this. "I made mistakes and I learned a lot from them across all kinds of races, having to start from the pit-lane, midfield and fighting at the front as well as some races I just managed without a real battle. The stories behind the intense season finale, Friendly on the planet, fierce on the track, Master the unpredictable to win exclusive prizes, Experience the very best of Formula E through gaming. 12.08.2020 - Formel E Formel-E-Podest für Rene Rast: Der Punching-Ball schlägt zurück Rene Rast fährt im fünften Formel-E-Rennen für Audi erstmals aufs Podest. To find out more view our privacy policy, Race Highlights | Round 10 | 2020 Berlin E-Prix, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler has confirmed that the German would re-join alongside Lucas di Grassi for the forthcoming campaign. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler has confirmed that the German would re-join alongside Lucas di Grassi for the forthcoming campaign. Der dreimalige DTM-Champion Rene Rast geht 2021 als Rookie in seine erste volle Formel-E-Saison (der Saisonauftakt 2021 am 16. In 2019, Rast reclaimed his DTM title with a commanding performance across 18 rounds with seven wins and six podiums. “I was making a plan some laps before, asking myself where I could pass him and surprise him and that was exactly the corner. “They have a lot of experience, some really good guys and engineers and that was a big help. Rene Rast prägte die DTM in den vergangenen Jahren wie kein anderer Fahrer. They imparted all that knowledge on me which guided me as to what to do and when. Jumping into the vacant Audi e-tron FE06 for the remainder of the 2019/20 season, the German ace has already had a taste of all-electric street racing, having deputised for Antonio Felix da Costa at Super Aguri in the 2016 Berlin E-Prix. Born in Minden, Germany, Rene Rast started karting professionally at the age of 10, competing in national competitions before winning the 2001 North German ICA Junior Kartcup. © FIA 2013-2019 - ALL CONTENT SUBJECT TO FIA APPROVAL, We use cookies to improve your experience. “It was zero-100 very quickly. I’d adapted a lot to the Formula E energy saving techniques because when I came back from Berlin and jumped in the DTM car it felt like I’d never driven one before! Rast was initially parachuted into the team, in place of Daniel Abt, for what wound up being an eye-catching spell on home soil which yielded 29 points and a maiden Formula E podium in Round 10. A year later he won the German ICA Junior Kartcup. Rast’s commitments as part of the Audi Sport stable of drivers meant adjusting fast was a must if he was to make meaningful progress during his time in-car at Tempelhof.