Formula E title fight "fully open," di Grassi says

Lucas di Grassi has declared the Formula E title fight "fully open", despite the advantage Nelson Piquet Jr. will take into this weekend's London finale.

Having finished no lower than fourth since the third round of the season, and having taken a pair of victories, Piquet will start the London ePrix with a 17-point advantage over di Grassi, with Sebastien Buemi a further six behind. With the Battersea Park street circuit hosting Formula E's inaugural double-header, 60 points will be on offer across Saturday and Sunday, which gives di Grassi plenty of incentive.

The Brazilian finished second to Piquet in Moscow earlier this month, two weeks after losing a victory and 25 points at Berlin Tempelhof for bodywork infringements.

"London is going to be very interesting," he said. "You know that one mistake can cost you 20, 15, even 25 points. In London the weather's very unpredictable and that could play a factor.

"For me the championship is fully open. There is still a lot of opportunity there. Our bad luck at one point has to turn and we'll try to get those points back."

Nicolas Prost (46 points behind Piquet) and Jerome d'Ambrosio (51) are also mathematical contention, while Sam Bird would need a perfect weekend and low scores for his rivals to topple Piquet on a results countback from 60 points behind.

It means Buemi is the only other realistic title contender, and having also lost points on the run home – dropping from third to ninth in Moscow for an unsafe release in pitlane – he says attack is his only option.

"I'm basically behind in the championship, so I don't have so much to lose," he said. "I will push as hard as I can, really, and try to win the races and that is the only way we will have any opportunity to fight for the championship.

"With the weather, all of those things you have to take it into consideration, but going there we will push as hard as possible."

Originally on Autosport.com