Having entered the Mexico City E-Prix in January, Frijns was involved in a first lap collision in which he fractured his wrist and took him out of the race. He has since been required to undergo surgery on his hand, and as a result has missed the following four races.
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Describing the wait to get racing again as an “eternity”, the two-time Formula E race winner had been subbed by South African racing driver Kelvin Van Der Linde. Frijns will be back in the Brazilian paddock, Formula E’s first visit to the country that has a special relationship with motorsport, and reunited with teammate Nico Muller.
“It feels insanely good to be preparing for a race again with Nico and the whole team – it’s so good to be back”, Frijns said in a statement released by ABT CUPRA.
“The past two months have felt like an eternity. Many thanks to the team, the FIA, all the doctors and physios, and the whole Formula E paddock, who have been patient with me despite me being so impatient.”
This won’t be the first bit of racing Frijns has completed since the surgery. He was racing at Sebring in a 12 hour endurance race last weekend which he described as a success.
“My hand feels good, racing in Sebring went smoothly, I’m fit for Sao Paulo. I was in contact with the team the whole time, was involved in everything and am up to date with all the procedures – the race weekend can start.”
ABT CUPRA are getting ready for Brazil after a four week break since the last race in Cape Town, in which the team did not start the race due to a safety concern with one of their Mahindra-supplied parts.
“The break was good for the whole team, everyone was able to take a deep breath and gather new strength,” Thomas Biermaier, the team’s CEO and Team Principal stated.
“Now we are delighted that Robin is back on board and will certainly support us with his experience. At the same time, we say a big thank you to Kelvin, who has done a mega job on and off the track over the past two months and will of course remain part of the team.”