Formula E’s 10th season has a bit of a theme, it would seem, drivers returning ‘home’. Lucas di Grassi has returned to his beloved ABT, Oliver Rowland has gone back to Nissan and Robin Frijns has rejoined Envision Racing, who just so happen to be the reigning Champions’.
Frijns has ditched the worst package on the grid for arguably the best, as his Season 9 campaign with ABT was completed using the disappointing Mahindra powertrain. The Dutchman only departed Envision for ABT at the conclusion of Season 8, meaning he’s gone back to the Silverstone-based squad after just one season.
The 32-year-old previously spent four years with Envision, a period of time which saw him collect 10 podiums, two of which came in the form of victory. His last win was claimed all the way back in Season 5, at the finale in New York. Despite this, he was a driver who Envision could consistently depend on to be challenging for the big points.
With star driver Nick Cassidy having departed Envision for Jaguar TCS Racing, the customer side need a driver to step up and replicate Cassidy’s huge 2023 points and podium haul. Frijns could be that driver, especially as he’s got a hunger to get back to winning ways after spending last season at the back of the grid.
Frijns admits that the team’s goal is “quite clear” upon his return; they want to win races. He has sort of already done this in a very unofficial way, as he topped the mock-race during pre-season testing.
“I was with the team for four years, the team has not changed much, there are some new guys coming in, some other guys left, which is normal,” Frijns told Autosport.
“Obviously it feels good to be back, coming back to a team which I know is always nice to have, but I think the goal is quite clear that we all want to win. The team is pushing hard to be competitive and win races and that’s what we try to do.”
Whilst some think leaving ABT was an easy decision for Frijns, this actually isn’t the case. The Dutchman knows the Kempten-based outfit incredibly well from his DTM days, with him being more than aware that when they have a good car at their disposal, winning is always on the card.
However, with the hardware being under homologation until Season 11, the likelihood is that the Germans will be at the back again in the second season of the Gen3 era. On top of this, Frijns is now a BMW Hypercar driver in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), with him being banned from representing two manufacturers.
This became an issue for Frijns at ABT following the start of their partnership last year with Spanish manufacturer CUPRA. Returning to Envision, therefore, ensures that he can compete in both Formula E and the WEC, putting him in a “better position”.
“I wouldn’t say it didn’t really work out with Abt, I liked being part of the team, I know the guys, unfortunately they didn’t have a great car as we all saw with the Mahindra powertrain but nevertheless, I know when you give the guys a good car that they can win races,” said Frijns.
“But there was more behind it than that, obviously before I signed with Abt or somewhere at the same time, I was talking to BMW, and I cannot represent two brands so that was a bit of an issue with Cupra coming onboard very late, just before the beginning of the season.
“Envision, it’s a brand but it has nothing to do with car brands and obviously that puts myself in a better position.”
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