• ZDF to air Formula E race live on main channel for the first time
  • Sports legend Chris Hoy accompanies Lucas di Grassi for TV documentary
  • Italian ski star Dominik Paris visits Audi

Formula E is back in Europe. ZDF will air live coverage of the E-Prix from the Italian capital on Saturday.

For the first time, German TV station ZDF will show a Formula E race on its main channel. Starting at 3.45 PM CEST, presenter Katja Streso and commentator Gary Paubandt will report live from Rome. Earlier on Saturday at at 11.30 AM, the qualifying session can be watched on a live stream at zdfsport.de. On the Tuesday before the race, ZDF-Morgenmagazin, the channel’s morning program, provided live reports during a visit to Audi’s Motorsport Department in Neuburg.

Sports legend Chris Hoy is accompanying Lucas di Grassi for a TV documentary this weekend. Cycling pro Hoy won six Olympic gold medals and became world champion in track cycling eleven times. As part of a film shoot for Motor Trend, the Scot also had the opportunity to drive a current Formula E car in Rome.

Italian ski racer and reigning Super G world champion Dominik Paris is one of Audi’s guests at the E-Prix in Rome. In total, Audi Italia is expecting nearly 200 guests this weekend.

A special mission for Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi: On Thursday, the two Formula E drivers ventured into Rome’s urban traffic as pizza delivery men on eco-friendly electric scooters. The mechanics and engineers of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team were delighted about the pizza delivery, but criticized that the pizzas had suffered massive damage during the trip.

At the Audi booth in the trackside E-Village, fans are able to virtually pit themselves against Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi. In the Audi #unraceable VR Simulator,the Audi drivers set lap times on a fictitious race track that race visitors will be able to compare themselves against on Saturday.

For some of the members of the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team, the alarm clocks rang extremely early on Thursday morning: 4.30 AM was the departure time for a photo shoot with all of the Formula E race cars at the famous Spanish Steps in Rome.

Two executive board members of technology partner Schaeffler – Peter Gutzmer (Deputy CEO and Chief Technology Officer) and Matthias Zink (CEO Automotive) – are watching the E-Prix live in Rome.

Also in attendance in Rome is Fabio Passuello, CEO of Audi’s partner Riello UPS. The world leader in uninterrupted power supply and standby power supply solutions is using the Italian E-Prix for a congress on the topic of energy transition.

Emanuele Pirro is working as a presenter and commentator for the organizer of the race. The long-standing Audi factory driver lives on the outskirts of the Italian capital.