The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team reaps the reward for an intensive night shift following Saturday’s accident as the second of two ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races on the streets of New York City produces a podium for Stoffel Vandoorne and a P7 for Nyck de Vries.
- Following Stoffel’s big crash in wet conditions in the first race on Saturday, the entire team worked tirelessly overnight to get his car ready in time for the third free practice session on Sunday morning. They got the job done thanks to a fantastic team effort.
- Stoffel set the third-fastest time in his qualifying group to progress to the duels where he lost out to Nick Cassidy by a tenth of a second and qualified in P6. A retrospective penalty for Cassidy then bumped him up to fifth on the grid.
- Nyck qualified third in his group for the head-to-head stage where he was up against Antonio Felix da Costa in the quarter-finals. In a thrilling duel, he was eliminated by a margin of one and a half tenths. Like Stoffel, Nyck also moved up one position on the grid to seventh.
- Stoffel gained two positions at the start and settled into P3. With 20 minutes left on the clock, he pulled off a strong overtaking move on Alexander Sims and advanced to P2. He was then involved in classic cat-and-mouse pursuit of Antonio Felix da Costa but eventually had to settle for the runner-up spot at the end of the 39-lap distance.
- It was Stoffel’s 13th podium finish in Formula E and his sixth this season. For the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, it was the 19th podium finish in the all-electric racing series.
- Nyck moved up three positions to P4 in the early stages, which put him right behind Stoffel. After withstanding pressure from Mitch Evans in the closing stages of the race, he set out to attack Alexander Sims in the battle for the final podium spot but lost control on a bump and dropped back down the field. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line in P7, with his car showing visible signs of damage.
- Stoffel (155 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship by eleven points ahead of Edoardo Mortara (144 points). Nyck (83 points) is in eighth place.
- The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team (238 points) currently leads the Team Championship ahead of Venturi Racing (228 points).
- The next two rounds of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be contested in London on the weekend of 30/31 July.
|
Driver |
FP3 |
Qualifying |
Race |
Standings |
|
#5 S. Vandoorne |
P13 1:09.334 16 Laps |
P6 (Quarter-Final) 1:08.765 |
P2 Grid: P5 FL: 1:11.181 |
P1 155 Points |
|
#17 N. de Vries |
P15 1:09.572 16 Laps |
P8 (Quarter-Final) 1:08.880 |
P7 Grid: P7 FL: 1:10.933 |
P8 83 Points |
Stoffel Vandoorne:
„Second place is a great result. All in all, the whole weekend here in New York City went well for us in terms of results, with a P4 yesterday and P2 today. Especially after what happened yesterday with that big crash in the first race. The team had to change the chassis and rebuild a full new car overnight – but they gave me a good one again today. Many thanks to the whole team for their efforts – this result is for them. It’s the ninth time in a row I’ve finished in the points. I’ve always been consistent, but last season it was harder to show that with the more random qualifying format. This year it’s possible to excel a bit more. So far, we’ve been on a very good run, but the competition is super strong. It all comes down to small details, and we’ve got to keep on top of them.“
Nyck de Vries:
„We had a great package today, although we struggled a bit with the balance, we made good use of our tools in the car and managed to keep on top of it, so I felt quite competitive. The fight was good, though obviously I am disappointed it didn’t play out. That bump in the track surface is quite dangerous, and it took me by surprise – I lost control of the car, and that was it. After that, my steering was bent and I couldn’t keep up as easily as before. Apart from that, I think it was a well-executed race from the team and the pace was strong. Still, I’m disappointed that I couldn’t score more points for the team, which is definitely what they deserved.“
Ian James, Team Principal:
„The tale of our day today really started yesterday. After the chaotic end to race 1, in which Stoffel’s car got severely damaged, the team faced a massive amount of work to build a new chassis and install the other Power Unit. However, by working right up to curfew, to prepare for scrutineering at 05:30 this morning, they ensured that we could make the start of FP3. This morning, the team was offered the next challenge when Nyck hit the wall during free practice and we had to change multiple elements on the car, including the battery, in the tight gap between FP3 and qualifying. This was further compounded by having to dismantle part of Stoffel’s car to replace a faulty wiring loom. So 2.5 rebuilds in just over 12 hours… a phenomenal achievement!
Their hard work paid off later in qualifying. Both Nyck and Stoffel managed to advance through to the quarter final stages, ultimately clinching P5 and P7 on the grid. From there, we were in a solid position to start the race and fight our way to the front with both cars. At a certain stage of the race, both Stoffel and Nyck seemed to be able to finish on the podium. Unfortunately, Nyck got caught out when he hit a manhole cover while trying to overtake a competitor – which saw him fall back, although still finishing seventh. Stoffel had a smoother race and climbed his way up to a well-deserved P2 – a podium finish that must have felt great for him. I know it did for the team!
The most important thing for us, flying home from New York City, is that we have accumulated good points for the championship fight. We will now keep the momentum and hit London and Seoul with the same mindset and determination as we have approached the past events this year. There are only 4 more races to go in this World Championship season, and we’ve got one hell of a fight ahead of us.“