Stoffel Vandoorne has said that Formula E debutants Mercedes EQ can be satisfied with its points haul in the Season 6 opener.
Alongside fellow German marque Porsche, Mercedes is one of two new teams on the 2019/20 Formula E grid and showcased impressive pace on the opening weekend of competition.
In the double-header event in Diriyah, Mercedes tasted success immediately, with Vandoorne piloting his Silver Arrow 01 car to a pair of podiums in Race 1 and Race 2, single-handedly scoring a haul of 30 points.
With team-mate Nyck de Vries also impressing, taking sixth in the first race of the season, Mercedes holds the lead in the Teams’ Championship with 38 points – two points ahead of the second-placed Envision Virgin Racing squad.
“I moved up from eleventh on the grid to finish third, so that was an action-packed race that ended with a good result for me,” said Vandoorne after the second race of the season.
“I was patient initially at the start and then showed good pace. I even managed to save some energy and deploy Attack Mode once I had pulled out a gap on those behind me, and so, did not lose too many positions.
“There were a lot of times when the yellow flags were out during the race, plus many safety car periods and tricky situations, as with the re-starts, for example, which I had to tackle properly.
“Still, in view of the fact that this was only the team’s first race weekend, we can be satisfied with our points haul.”
