ABT CUPRA experiences tough Formula E in Mexico

ABT CUPRA experiences tough Formula E in Mexico

  • Opener in Mexico City: Nico Müller manages a 14th place finish.
  • Robin Frijns retired right at the start of the race after a collision. The Dutchman suffered a fracture to his hand.

The ABT CUPRA team had a tough start of the season in Mexico City. While the result on the track was modest from the team’s point of view, the unique backdrop including its enthusiastic fans, gives optimism for the rest of the season.

“A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. This weekend the ABT CUPRA Team had its first Formula E race in Mexico City. We still have a long way to go, but today we did our first step. I want to congratulate Nico and Robin. I wish Robin a good recovery”, says Wayne Griffiths, CEO of CUPRA.

“From a sporting point of view, it was the expected difficult start to the season in a championship that we know well, but which is starting under completely different circumstances this year”, says team principal Thomas Biermaier.

In all the practice sessions, it was obvious to the team led by Robin Frijns and Nico Müller that the tight testing schedule and short preparation for the comeback will require a catch-up. In qualifying, Müller and Frijns finished 18th and 19th, then Müller made up four places in the race. “The entire team and also myself learned an enormous amount this weekend – we’ll take that as a positive takeaway”, says Nico Müller. “When we get home, it’s on to data analysis and then into the simulator, because fortunately the next race is only two weeks away.”

The second stop on the Formula E calendar is Diriyah in Saudi Arabia, where two races will be held on January 27 and 28. With the unique audience and a perfect organization, Mexico was the perfect place for the season opener. The ABT CUPRA team is taking a lot of knowledge, data and experience and with all this information it will take the next step already in Diriyah.

Dirk Steyvers PR & Content Manager SEAT & CUPRA, s.a. D'Ieteren Automotive n.v.

 

Over CUPRA

Press room CUPRA (België) voorbehouden voor journalisten

Copyright - Persberichten en foto's vrij van rechten uitsluitend voor persdoeleinden - Het gebruik van teksten en foto's voor andere doeleinden is niet toegelaten.

CUPRA

CUPRA is an unconventional challenger brand from the SEAT Group, based on stimulating style and contemporary performance. Since its launch as an independent brand in 2018, sales have shot up and CUPRA closed 2019 with a growth of 72% over the previous year with nearly 25,000 units sold. In 2020, the CUPRA Leon and the CUPRA Formentor, the first model designed specifically for the brand, will hit the market. CUPRA is expanding its dealer network to reach nearly 520 specialized points of sales around the world by the end of 2020.

Coinciding with its second anniversary, CUPRA has inaugurated its new headquarters in Martorell (Barcelona), the CUPRA Garage, a 2,400 square meter building located next to SEAT's corporate headquarters. CUPRA also has a racing car workshop, the CUPRA Racing Factory, where it developed the first 100% electric touring racing car, the CUPRA e-Racer. Moreover, CUPRA has become the first automotive brand to participate in the electric SUV off-road competition Extreme E.

In addition to becoming F.C. Barcelona’s exclusive automotive and mobility partner and World Padel Tour’s premium sponsor, CUPRA has formed an elite team of ambassadors, including the German goalkeeper Marc ter Stegen, the Swedish pilot Mattias Ekström and five of the best padel players in the world, among others.

Group profile

In existence since 1805, and across family generations, D’Ieteren seeks growth and value creation by pursuing a strategy on the long term for its businesses and actively encouraging and supporting them to develop their position in their industry or in their geographies. The Group has currently the following activities:

  • D'Ieteren Automotive distributes Volkswagen, Audi, SEAT, Škoda, Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Porsche and Yamaha vehicles in Belgium. It has a market share of around 22% and 1.2 million vehicles on the road. Its business model is evolving towards improving the lives of citizens with fluid, accessible and sustainable mobility. Sales and adjusted operating result reached respectively EUR 3.6 billion and EUR 119.0 million in FY 2019.
  • Belron (54.85% of the voting rights) has a clear purpose: “making a difference by solving people’s problems with real care”. It is the worldwide leader in vehicle glass repair and replacement and operates in 39 countries, through wholly owned businesses and franchises, with market leading brands – including Carglass®, Safelite® and Autoglass®. In addition, Belron manages vehicle glass and other insurance claims on behalf of insurance customers. Sales and adjusted operating result reached respectively EUR 4.2 billion and EUR 400.5 million in FY 2019.
  • Moleskine (100% owned) is a premium and aspirational lifestyle brand which develops and sells iconic branded notebooks and writing, travel and reading accessories through a multichannel distribution strategy across 114 countries. Sales and adjusted operating result reached respectively EUR 163.9 million and EUR 18.6 million in FY 2019.
  • D’Ieteren Immo (100%) groups together the Belgian real estate interests of D’Ieteren Group. It owns and manages approximately 30 properties which generated EUR 19.7 million net rental income in FY 2019. It also pursues investment projects and carries out studies into possible site renovations. 

Information on personal data and their processing: https://www.dieteren.be/media/1204/1809-information-notice-disa-final_en.pdf