It’s Formula 1 champion against Formula E champion in the latest drag race video that pits Nico Rosberg against Lucas di Grassi in a pair of Audis.
They aren’t just any Audis, though. The first is the RS e-tron GT. Unveiled last week, it was apparently still under camouflage when Rosberg was filming. Capable of producing about 590 hp and 612 lb-ft of torque, it will go up to 637 hp on overboost. That’s good for a 0-60 time of 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph.
The Formula E car, meanwhile, makes a lot less power. The second-generation open-wheel racer has an output of about 335 hp. Thanks to its low weight, though, it can manage the 0-60 sprint in around about 3 seconds.
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This is a bit of an odd test, though, because it takes place after a reasonable snowfall. Although Audi had blankets over the track to keep it dry, the conditions are far from ideal, so neither is likely to accelerate as quickly as it could.
In these conditions, though, the cars are very well matched on this eighth-mile track. Besides the launch, the two cars appear to accelerate almost identically on their way to the finish line. Indeed, the Formula E car wins by less than a car’s length.
That seems to annoy Rosberg, who has become no less competitive since retiring from F1 at the end of the 2016 season, in which he claimed the Drivers’ Championship. Between races, he starts to strategize and plan how he’s going to win the next race going into detail about his pedal position on the brake and so on.
And it works. Rosberg wins the second race thanks to his excellent start and the closeness of their acceleration curve means the di Grassi can’t catch him.
What would happen on a dry circuit is another story, but it remains impressive that Audi’s electric road car is fast enough to compete with its electric racer.