After a four-year drought in Formula E, Nyck de Vries finally returned to victory at the Monaco E-Prix, a win he told Motorsport Week was richly deserved for his Mahindra team.
Despite starting second, De Vries executed a superior strategy and kept a cool head amid the chaos behind him, taking the chequered flag in Monaco as the winner of Race 1.
Long time coming
The Dutchman had missed the top step of the podium, with his last victory coming in Berlin in 2022. However, after leaving the series to explore opportunities in F1 before returning with Mahindra, De Vries had forgotten his winning ways.
He admitted to Motorsport Week that he didn’t believe winning was even possible in the first two years of his return, acknowledging the long-term aspects of the project with the Indian marque.
“I think when I came back to Formula E in 2024, because obviously I was out in 2023, winning was not really on the cards for the first two years.
“Obviously, at the end of last year, we had a strong run, and we started to build real momentum, and we’ve built a very strong team and package, but executing a win here is tough. And the competition is high.”
Season 12 saw De Vries’ teammate, Edoardo Mortara, take the limelight in the opening stages, with podiums and third place in the Championship standings coming into the weekend. However, the team’s focus has been on remaining consistent.
“I think this year, Edo’s had an incredible run. The team in the car is performing well, so we definitely had that hope and belief that a win would be possible.
“But as a team, we are more focused on consistent, solid points because in the long run, that’s what matters in a championship, and we don’t want to favour a win for a no points finish. Because if you look at races like Berlin, anything can happen.
FE is notoriously for the way favours shift and results can change in an instant. This weekend favoured De Vries. That was something he said he felt was coming.
“But having said that, a win is very welcome.”
Hard to get complacent
In motorsport, especially a series as fickle as FE, drivers spend more time losing than winning. It’s a special quality to continue fighting and waiting for your luck and your hard work to pay off.
“It’s just, I think that’s one of the core things about being a great Formula E driver, isn’t it?” De Vries said, “It’s about having patience, because so many things can go wrong when you’ve had such a great day and resilience.
“I mean, just being able to swallow it weekend after weekend and then still see the end of the tunnel. But it’s like that. It’s like that. As long as we share the common objective and common goal, and we keep remaining united as a team, then that will prevail. No pit moves tomorrow.”
His season has largely been marked by incidents and issues in the first half, resulting in the loss of points due to technical issues and mistakes.
“I think for me personally and the team, I’ve been kind of on the receiving end this year. I think we never really questioned the pace, but just little things.
“If you think Mexico was a motor issue, Jeddah was an inverter, then 60 places grip penalty, then Jarama, we are in the front row, and we had a software issue, and then I made a mistake. I mean, it’s four races with an X [nothing].”
Beyond the Duthcman’s own triumph, his victory in Monaco also marked Mahindra’s first win in nearly 5 years. Something he was proud to give back to the team.
“It was just nice to come back and give the team the result they very much deserve.” He told Motorsport Week, “The car was incredible today. You know, the right calls at the right time.”
Strategic masterclass
The Pit Boost in the race was vital for De Vries to get ahead of Ticktum. The Dutchman dove into the pits earlier and put in blinding laps. It left him ahead of the Kiro driver as the Pit Boost phase ended, solidifying his place for the rest of the race.
He told Motorsport Week that his goal was always to stick close to Ticktum, then do the opposite of whatever he did.
“The target didn’t change that much. I think the key was to have the Delta to Dan and then do the opposite. Of course, Mitch and Max were kind of thinking the same, do the opposite. Then we used our energy and pace to make that ground on Dan.
“I think that was key. So the Delta, the pace, the Delta energy, and the pace, but also clearing Antonio quickly when he came out, because he was obviously out of attack, and I still had a few minutes to go, and I needed to use that to build more distance to Dan.
“So, yeah, it just worked out perfectly.”
Despite the strong pace in Race 1, De Vries was quick to guarantee the same results again for Race 2. However, with the car’s overall pace looking promising, he had high hopes.
“I would say it’s going to be a very different race. I expect more chaos. Frankly speaking, I would wish for rain, because it just dilutes the sensitivity.
“But we have a great car, so we should go and make sure that we capitalise on that and score good points.”
With drivers climbing through the field, crashing and making the most of the winding streets of Monaco, anything can happen in Race 2. However, Mahindra seem to be one of the teams that will surely be up at the front.
READ MORE: Nyck de Vries ends four-year Formula E drought with Monaco masterclass
Discussion about this post