“A bit excited”
German Olympic stars change saddle
May 4, 2026 – 9:38 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Two top German athletes are embarking on an experiment away from their usual sport. First, they collect their first impressions.
Laura Nolte and Deborah Levi made direct contact with the world of motorsport for the first time at the Formula E race at Tempelhofer Feld in Berlin. There the two bobsledders met the drivers Jean-Éric Vergne and Nick Cassidy at the weekend and took a close look at the racing car. During the course of the year, the duo will first train in the simulator and later take to the track themselves in the Citroën racing car.
“We both like to drive fast in a car and we also drive fast in a bobsleigh. That means we love speed. But we are a little excited,” Nolte told the “Bild” newspaper. “I think it will be an awesome feeling, especially the acceleration.”
The step into a new discipline comes shortly after Nolte and Levi’s successes at the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Nolte won silver in the monobob and, together with Levi, gold in the two-man bobsleigh. Despite the differences in the disciplines, both athletes see numerous similarities.
Nolte explained: “Here, during the track walk, we look at what the race track is like, the track is measured, and we look for unevenness.” She made a comparison: “Before my competition, I also run along the ice track with spikes on my shoes. We then see what the ice condition is like that day. Or, for example, whether the entrance to a curve is steeper than usual.”
In addition to the choice of lines and the handling of high speeds, she also sees parallels in the technology: both sports equipment are made of carbon, “and of course both the racing drivers and we have mechanics and engineers with us,” says Nolte. At the same time, Levi pointed out differences: “But we have to get the bob from A to B ourselves and carry it to the track during training, so we have to carry 170 kilograms, often with four people. We also change and grind the runners ourselves.”
From a motorsports perspective, the two of them also have good qualifications. Formula E driver Jean-Éric Vergne said: “Winter sports, like bobsleigh, train you perfectly for the ideal line. They are professionals and will do it well in the car.”
A change of perspective is coming up for the German duo – from the ice track to the asphalt. The vehicles you will get to know accelerate from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in less than two seconds.
