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- Dutch driver Nyck de Vries leads ABB FIA Formula E World Championship after opening weekend win
DIRIYAH: Having celebrated a successful weekend at the Diriyah E-Prix, the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team and its principal partner NEOM have expressed their joy at the way the opening rounds of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Saudi Arabia have worked out for both parties.
On Friday, at the first ever night race to take place in Formula E, Nyck de Vries claimed a dominant victory for the German manufacturer in front of a delegation from NEOM. The Dutchman led the race from lights-to-flag, having set the quickest time in qualifying to start in pole position.
Ian James, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team principal, said: “Both Nyck and (Belgian driver) Stoffel (Vandoorne) were able to demonstrate in Diriyah that we have developed a competitive package with the Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02.
“Nyck’s performance and control of every session from FP1 to the first race is something which had not previously been seen in Formula E. We have been confident in his potential from the outset, and it’s great that the experience he developed throughout his first season has now been translated into his first Formula E win.”
De Vries continued his fast pace in Saturday’s second E-Prix, earning an additional championship point for the fastest lap, as he drove through the field to finish in ninth place following a challenging start to the day for the team. De Vries leaves Saudi Arabia at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with 32 points from the opening weekend.
“It’s been terrific to be back on track and also to have many of our partners here to support us to kick-off the first FIA World Championship Season,” James added.
“I’d like to thank NEOM and all team partners for their continued support. It’s been a good start to season seven and we look forward to building on this for the next race.”
The partnership with Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team aims to accelerate NEOM’s ambitions to be at the vanguard of future technology and mobility and become a center for sporting excellence.
Jan Paterson, managing director of sport at NEOM, said: “It was great to see such a strong performance from the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team in the season opener in Diriyah.
“Working alongside the team is of key importance for us to realize our ambition to become a center of sporting excellence and a major participant in the world’s sporting landscape, and this weekend offered our employees a unique chance to engage and learn from a world-class team.”
As part of the knowledge-sharing program between the two organizations, 70 NEOM employees and stakeholders attended the Diriyah E-Prix, adhering to strict coronavirus disease (COVID-19) safety protocols. During the pit lane walk, the delegation got a first-hand impression of how the world’s first net carbon-zero sport is accelerating adoption of electric vehicles.
Ahead of the start of the sport’s first FIA World Championship season, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team racer Vandoorne put the Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 through its paces along the spectacular Magna Road in NEOM in the north-western corner of the Kingdom.