Di Grassi to make Le Mans return with AF Corse

Audi Formula E driver Lucas di Grassi has been confirmed as the third driver in the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

The Brazilian Audi factory driver will drive the 488 at La Sarthe with the car's two confirmed full-season drivers, James Calado and program newcomer Alessandro Pier Guidi. Di Grassi's drive stems from an appearance in the driver shootout organized by AF Corse to find a replacement for Gianmaria Bruni, who departed the team to drive with Porsche in its GTE program.

"I'm very happy to be back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans," he commented. "Every professional racing driver wants to be part of history and to race for Ferrari means a lot to me. Manufacturer-backed GTE-Pro is undoubtedly the best place to be after my four years in LMP1."

Last year Di Grassi competed with Audi in what turned out to be the final year of its LMP1 program alongside Oliver Jarvis and Loic Duval, and expressed his interest to return to both the WEC and the Le Mans 24 Hours straight after the final round last season in Bahrain.