JÖRG SCHROTT LEADS OPEL GSE FORMULA E TEAM INTO ELECTRIC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Published 31st March

Hot on the heels of Opel’s official announcement of its entry into the Formula E World Championship this season, the Rüsselsheim-based brand has also made an important personnel decision for the Opel GSE Formula E Team: Jörg Schrott will take on the role of Team Principal. The brand with the Blitz emblem is thus relying on a proven leader for its next step in all-electric motorsport: Schrott has been part of the Opel family since 1997 and has been responsible for the brand's motorsport activities as Motorsport Director since 2012. Aschaffenburg-born Schrott made his first appearance in his new role on March 21 during the Formula E race in Madrid, when Opel CEO Florian Huettl announced the new chapter in the brand's traditional and successful motorsport history.

“Jörg Schrott has been a defining personality of our brand for many years and has launched numerous successful motorsport projects. We are particularly proud that he is the driving force behind the ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup, which gives young talents access to electric racing. Precisely because Jörg has proven how to break new ground with courage and pioneering spirit, he is the perfect choice to take on the role of Team Principal of the Opel GSE Formula E Team in addition to his responsibility as Motorsport Director," said Florian Huettl.

"I am grateful for the trust and look forward to the new challenge," said Jörg Schrott. "To be able to help shape Opel's entry into Formula E and thus electric motorsport at FIA World Championship level is a very special task." In the coming weeks and months, the focus will be on building a team that has the ambition to win races. This includes a winning driver duo, a well-rehearsed and passionate crew at the track and a focused team in Rüsselsheim that prepares the races with the highest precision. The key positions have already been defined and will now be successively filled with Formula E expertise. “Formula E is one of the most fiercely contested racing series in the world. Success only comes from real teamwork and the right mindset. My task is to form a strong team from Rüsselsheim that works together towards a common goal: the success of our brand on the international stage," added Schrott.

Jörg Schrott has been shaping motorsport at Opel since 1997. As the first employee of the then newly-founded Opel Performance Centre (OPC), he was significantly involved in the development of the brand's performance production vehicles and racing activities and took over the management of Opel Motorsport in 2012. Under his leadership, Opel became an integral part of international circuit and rally racing, including six Junior European Championship titles – the result of a consistent promotion of young talents who advanced to the European Rally Championship after successes in the ADAC Opel Electric Rally Cup. The world's first all-electric rally one-make cup, now renamed as ‘ADAC Opel GSE Rally Cup’, will kick off its new season at the end of May with the drivers competing in the new Opel Mokka GSE Rally. At the same time, Opel customers benefit from the knowledge gained in motorsport. Opel is bringing the incomparable rally feeling of the 207 kW (281 hp) electric car to the road as a production model with the new Opel Mokka GSE.

Jörg Schrott has been shaping motorsport at Opel since 1997.

Long before his motorsport commitments, Jörg Schrott was responsible for other management positions at Opel – including Head of Product Communications and Head of Corporate Communications – and thus also brings extensive experience in brand management, media relations and strategic positioning to his new role as Team Principal of the Opel GSE Formula E Team.

The official announcement of Opel's entry into Formula E marked the start of an impressive race weekend in Spain. Florian Huettl and Opel Marketing Director Rebecca Reinermann, together with Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds, presented Opel’s plans to international media representatives, celebrating their first official appearance in the paddock of the World Championship. On the Saturday of the race, 30,000 spectators – including Spain's King Felipe VI – watched the Formula E debut in Madrid live at the track.

The next appearance of the Opel GSE Formula E Team will be at the Paul Ricard racetrack in Le Castellet in mid-April, when the series, manufacturers and teams will officially present the then more than 800 hp GEN4 generation of the all-electric race cars.