In the German E-Prix, Nick De Vries and Stofel Vandoorne led the podium, with the reigning champion on top of the podium in the Teutonic capital. Mortara, Saturday’s winner, escorted De Vries, while Lucas Di Grassi finished fourth.

De Vries made the best pace of his car count and did not let Mortara take advantage of the two-second advantage with which he left the attack mode phase. The defending world champion took his first win of the year and climbs to sixth overall, although still far behind his teammate, who is almost twice his number of points.

Vergne, who had an outstanding day on Saturday, faded this Sunday to the point of finishing ninth and out of the fight. In fact, this bad result cost him second place overall.

Vandoorne, on the other hand, was always among the front runners, but this time he did not have enough pace to fight for the win. However, the result was enough to progress to the last step of the podium and add another 15 valuable points that give him a cushion of 12 over the now second, Edoardo Mortara.

Different Conditions

This Sunday’s race was markedly different from the opening day. For example, the direction of the track and the Attack Mode, which for the Sunday e-Prix was concentrated in a single eight-minute activation, while on Saturday there were two four-minute activations, significantly changed the strategy, so the race was somewhat less lively, and also less exciting.

Despite the modifications, the trend with respect to the Mercedes powertrains remained. Mortara looked like he would once again be the driver to set the pace on the German track by repeating pole position and strategy of activating the attack mode. However, his strategy did not give the expected result since, first, De Vries overtook him at the start and, then, when his attack mode ended he was second behind the Dutchman, much more plugged in than on Saturday, where he was practically out of the race.

Formula E returns next June 4 in Jakarta, Indonesia, the country that will host the electric single-seater series for the first time.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post De Vries Wins Second Round in Berlin and Vandoorne Consolidates his Lead appeared first on Green Racing News.

The current champion from the highest category of electric single-seaters took the seat of honor for Saturday’s race, while his Belgian teammate followed him closely in second position (0.636). The podium was completed by Jake Dennis (+8.802) from Avalanche Andretti, promising excitement and adrenaline for an epic battle.

Sam Bird’s TCS Jaguar crossed the finish line in fourth position, while Lucas di Grassi, one of the most anticipated drivers for the new season, took fifth place (+15.152) aboard his ROKiT Venturi Racing car. His teammate, Edoardo Mortara, came in behind in sixth place (+16.015).

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Thus, according to first impressions of the nascent 8th season of Formula E, things started just as they ended on the previous season. Vandoorne and de Vries at the front, being chased by Avalanche Andretti’s Briton.

Among the highlights was the debut of Antonio Giovinazzi, the Italian who left Formula 1 to join the sustainable transition, opening his performance at 20th position, 1.116.527 behind the winner. Also rookie Oliver Askew put in a strong performance after scoring points in his first E-Prix. Avalanche Andretti man saw the checkered flag in ninth position.

On the other hand, the first appearance of the Porsche Taycan Safety Car was evident at the championship, when it came in to remove a Mahindra vehicle from the track. Everything has been served on the asphalt of Diriyah for the definition of the first Formula E weekend, this Saturday, January 29th.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Formula E Diriyah 2022: Mercedes, de Vries and Vandoorne Start Season 8 on a Good Note appeared first on Green Racing News.

On this issue, we will be reviewing the favorite drivers for the upcoming season, which will come with a new format and new venues to expand the tournament to all corners of the world.

Nick de Vries

After flirting strongly with Formula 1, the Dutch driver finally stayed with Mercedes, the team with which he will seek to revalidate his title. With 99 units, de Vries won one of the most disputed titles in the history of the category, where there were up to seven different winners. It should be noted that this will be the last season of the team in the championship, so the performance of the driver will be crucial to define his future.

Lucas Di Grassi

Despite not having finished on the podium during Season Seven, the Brazilian is a historic driver who, in addition to winning the title in 2016-2017, has 12 victories and 35 podiums among his 84 participations in the category. With this parchment and all his experience, Di Grassi is expected to be fighting at the top of the standings.

Read also: Alberto Longo Assures that Indonesian E-Prix is Organized with Full Transparency

Antonio Felix da Costa

After overcoming the financial uncertainty surrounding DS Techeetah, the Portuguese driver, who already knows what it’s like to taste the sweetness of winning the series, is ready to return to the top.

At the end of the pre-season, da Costa declared that the team is facing 2022 with great ambition and, although he admits that it will be complicated due to the quality of drivers and teams that exist, they will work hard to win. 

Edoardo Mortara

The Swiss driver was only seven points behind the leader, Nick de Vries, and took the runner-up position in season 7. The ROKIT Venturi representative already knows what it is like to face tough challenges after returning from a terrible accident in Berlin and fighting for the trophy. Mortara already showed in the preseason in Valencia that his podium finish in the previous season was no fluke.

Jake Dennis

The Briton has earned his place among the favorites. Andretti trusted in his abilities thanks to an impressive performance in the brand’s driver selection evaluation, and in his rookie year he paid off for the institution by finishing third overall.

Despite this ranking, nothing is set in stone. In fact, in the last campaign there were no lights until the last date, so all the drivers present on the grid not only arrive with options to win, but also with the motivation and tireless work of each of their teams.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post Five Drivers to Watch for Formula E Season 8 appeared first on Green Racing News.

In the three test days, different drivers showed dominance with excellent displays at the helm of the electric single-seaters. On the first day, Envision Racing representative, Robin Frijns, won against the DS Techeetahs of Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa.

The Dutchman set the pace with a best lap of 1m26.968s in the afternoon session to beat Vergne by 0.173s, while da Costa was just 0.002 behind his teammate.

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The best time was eight seconds slower than the time set on the first day of testing last year, as on this visit Formula E ran on a 240-meter longer track.

The Champions dominated the Second Day

During the next day of testing, Stoffel Vandoorne and Mercedes were the ones who struck an authoritative blow to show why they are the champion team. Vandoorne’s time, a 1m26.045s, was not the only good thing for the team, which saw its star driver, Nick de Vries, finish fourth, just one tenth of a second behind.

Venturi finished second with Edoardo Mortara, while third place went to Andretti with Jake Dennis. Pascal Wehrlein completed the Top 5 with Porsche.

Final Day

The test was closed on Thursday, December 2 and Edoardo Mortara, who finished only seven points behind champion Nyck de Vries on season seven, set the best time with 1m25.763s. This allowed him to finish the day four hundredths of a second ahead of the next fastest driver, Jean-Eric Vergne.

Stoffel Vandoorne’s Mercedes set the third fastest time of the day, while Mitch Evans’ Jaguar Racing beat Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein in the fight for fourth.

These results seem a clear indicator that last season’s dominators will be the rivals to beat in 2022. Mercedes champions de Vries and Vandoorne want to see off the team in style, while Mortara wants to get rid of the thorn that left him very close to the throne.

Although the aforementioned drivers start as favorites, it should be remembered that last year Formula E had up to seven different E-Prix winners, so the same level of competitiveness is expected in the tournament that is about to begin.

It will be next January 28 when Saudi Arabia will once again become the initial venue for the electric single-seater series, which is becoming more and more popular among fans and comes with more races, incredible urban circuits and a new, more attractive format for spectators.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post The Valencia Test offered hints of the rivals to beat in Formula E’s “Season Eight” appeared first on Green Racing News.

Despite the fact that the second driver of the organization, Stofel Vandoorne, finished ninth, his performance on the last E-Prix held in Berlin was essential for the collective title.  

Although it was not a good year for Vandoorne, who finished second in campaign six, Team Principal Ian James praised the Belgian’s performance. “He really had the worst part of the failures this season, but if I look at what he has achieved during the season, and if I look especially at his qualifying performance in Berlin, he won the Team Championship for us there.”

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He acknowledged Vandoorne’s work because all the spotlight, and rightly so, has been on reigning monarch Nick de Vries. “Stoffel deserves recognition because without those four points, it would have been a very different story. It was an excellent commitment on his part,” James emphasized.

Obstacle Season

Although Mercedes solved many of the operational errors that ruined their 2019-20 season, with De Vries significantly more affected last year, they still endured considerable changes to their competitiveness through the middle half of the campaign that just ended.

De Vries (two) and Vandoorne (one) scored wins at each of the first three double-header races, but failed to return to winning ways, including five non-points results in a six race series.

On the situation, James commented: “We fought to the end. Do I want to repeat that next year? Absolutely, on terms of a double win, but gosh, I want to do it a lot earlier in the season, in a much simpler way.”

“We’ll have that big honesty in terms of going over the things we didn’t do right. We’ve already had those discussions and they started just the day after finishing in Berlin,” the Mercedes boss revealed.

Read also: After excelling as a Rookie, Jake Dennis will continue in Formula E

Speculation lingers that De Vries could move to Williams for the 2022 Formula 1 Season, if starter George Russell replaces Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes.

That would leave Vandoorne at the head of Mercedes’ Formula E driver lineup for what will be the manufacturer’s final season in the all-electric series.

However, James and team CEO Toto Wolff are leading plans to find a buyer so he can continue independently for the Gen3 era.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post Balance for Mercedes: Endurance paid off with a double win appeared first on Green Racing News.

According to reports from the Dutch sports press, the driver could leave the electric category to join Formula 1, no less. Early in his career, De Vries won the Formula 2 title in 2019 and was aiming to participate in the Grand Circus, but was unable to reach an agreement with any team.

Formula E was his consolation, with Mercedes opening their doors to him, and only during his second season, he conquered the glory. Now, with the championship in hand, the Dutchman seems to have several pretenders that could lead him to fulfill his dream. 

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One of them is the manufacturer for whom he races for in the electric series. His director, Toto Wolff, has expressed his possible interest in taking him to the big leagues of motorsport. Also, other teams that have assessed the possibility of having De Vries include Williams. The team would reportedly be happy to give him the opportunity for 2022.

Pride and Future Analysis

De Vries’ triumph put him on an uncertain position regarding his future in motorsport. The Netherlands-born driver is torn between staying with Formula E to defend his title with Mercedes, or launching into the Formula 1 arena.

“In motorsport it’s all about performance, that’s the only way I can influence on my racing career; only then I can open doors and strengthen my chances. Is Formula 1 closer now? As long as I get results, doors will open, and winning a Championship obviously contributes to that.”

Regarding the interest expressed by F1 manufacturers, De Vries said: “I have read some of the messages and listened to what the Mercedes team boss said. Those are beautiful words. Honestly, I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

Although he has to prepare for the next challenges, there is still time for the driver to make a decision about what he will do in 2022, since Formula E starts in January, while F1 starts in March.

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post De Vries: Defend Formula E title or move up to Formula 1? appeared first on Green Racing News.