Nyck de Vries will look to defend his ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in the 2021/22 season after being confirmed to return with the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team alongside Stoffel Vandoorne.
Mercedes will withdraw from Formula E at the end of the season ahead of the introduction of the third generation cars, but they field an unchanged line-up for the forthcoming season as they look to defend both titles.
“Continuity and stability definitely play a big role,” said Ian James, the Team Principal at Mercedes. “How does the saying go? ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’
“But at the same time, there’s another old adage that being successful does not automatically mean that there’s no room for improvement. Nyck and Stoffel both play an absolutely key role in that respect.
“They’ve been phenomenal as drivers so far while also making a huge contribution to the development of this team that we’ve built up from scratch, so having that continuity going into Season 8 is a tremendous advantage.”
“Being the reigning champion will spice things up a bit” – Nyck de Vries
De Vries, who has been linked with a potential move to the NTT IndyCar Series in 2023 after being lined up for a test with Meyer Shank Racing late this year, says he is raring to go as he looks to become only the second driver to retain his crown.
“I’m definitely looking forward to Season 8,” said de Vries. “A new season always brings fresh challenges and being the reigning champion will spice things up a bit, so I’m really excited at the prospect of going racing again and being able to defend our two championship titles.
“I’m really looking forward to competing at all the various circuits. It’s mega exciting that our championship can continue to grow with racing in all these fascinating cities. It’s great to be back in the cities.
“I’m fairly certain that the championship will be mega in many ways, both from a sporting point of view with the new qualifying format but also with the excitement that these new venues will generate.”
“Establishing a good relationship with your crew is paramount” – Stoffel Vandoorne
Vandoorne says it is good to have continuity within the team as they head into the new season, which begins with the Diriyah E-Prix in Saudi Arabia in January.
With the team having moved to a single factory in Brackley, there is additional challenges ahead, but the Belgian is ready to get the new year underway.
“Continuity in Formula E is always a good thing, because the margins between drivers and teams are very small, so establishing a good relationship with your crew is paramount,” said Vandoorne. “You have to really understand each other, what you need from the car, what you require to improve it and be able to perform. All these factors are enormously helpful.
“We often discuss new ideas together, asking ourselves whether they make sense or whether we’re wasting too much time with them. Will they improve our lap times.
“We have an additional challenge facing us with our recent move to Brackley, so there’s going to be plenty of changes with a new simulator and lots of jobs to be done before the season kicks off. We’ve got a great deal to accomplish over the winter, perhaps even more than in the past, but let’s just wait and see how it all goes next season.”
