Nyck de Vries (pictured above with Mercedes-EQ team principal Ian James) navigated a rollercoaster Season 7 finale in Berlin to become ABB FIA Formula E world champion. Norman Nato (ROKiT Venturi Racing) steered to a composed first series victory ahead of Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland and Stoffel Vandoorne, while Mercedes-EQ secured the teams’ championship.
With 13 drivers in title contention heading into the BMW i Berlin E-Prix presented by CBMM Niobium Round 15, and four in with a real strong shot of the title, the scene was set for a frenetic finale, and what we got was peak Formula E.
Right off the line, there was drama and heartbreak as Mitch Evans (Jaguar Racing) — perhaps the title favorite given his strong qualifying performance, while the rest of the contenders started outside the top 10 — failed to get away. The pack behind was forced into avoiding action but another championship protagonist in Edo Mortara (ROKiT Venturi Racing) couldn’t swerve clear of the stricken Jaguar and a violent crash saw the pair out of the running but thankfully unhurt.
We're under a red flag in Berlin after a collision on the start line between two of our championship contenders – @mitchevans_ and @edomortara.
Great to see both drivers get out of the car ok. They will be going to the medical centre for checks!
2021 @BMWi #BerlinEPrix pic.twitter.com/Ndg2aEJwOu
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) August 15, 2021
That left Jake Dennis (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) seemingly in prime position with standings leader de Vries down the order. Sensationally, before the field had made the first corner after a spell under the red flag while that startline accident was cleared, we lost another title contender as the Brit locked up into Turn 1 and hit the wall.
The pendulum swung again, with de Vries now sitting pretty and Mercedes-EQ looking odds-on to take teams’ honors with Vandoorne leading the pack away. Through the first round of Attack Mode activations, Nato made it count and strode clear having passed Vandoorne on lap 10, the Belgian’s late deployment of the 35kW power boost leaving him shuffled down the top six.
The scrap for points was fraught, and Mercedes’ haul, with de Vries also in the points and on the way to eighth, was enough to seal the teams’ title. A three-wide clash with the Porsches heading into the closing stages almost saw both de Vries and Vandoorne in contact but the pair steered clear.
Norman Nato (Venturi Racing) was untouchable Sunday on the Berlin airport circuit. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images
Nato strode away and left the rest to it despite an interruption via a second safety car appearance as Antonio Felix da Costa was squeezed by Lucas di Grassi at the hairpin — confirming beyond doubt that the Portuguese would have to relinquish his crown. The Venturi racer drove on to a composed victory, with Rowland picking his way through to second while Vandoorne came home third.
"AND THERE'S CONTACT!"@nyckdevries, @Andre_Lotterer and @AlexanderSims go three wide
Live timing
https://t.co/PfsIBGoxYB
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) August 15, 2021
Andre Lotterer took the checkered flag fourth ahead of Mahindra Racing’s Alex Sims, Pascal Wehrlein and a resurgent Sam Bird, who’d clambered from 22nd to seventh doing his valiant best for Jaguar Racing’s teams’ championship chances — a clear sign that with a bit more luck the Briton could have been right in the title mix this weekend.
De Vries followed battlescarred in eighth, with Rene Rast (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) tallying another TAG Heuer Fastest Lap as he soared from 19th to the points.
The final tall had de Vries taking home the drivers’ crown from Mortara and Dennis. Combined with teammate Vandoorne’s podium, that also saw Mercedes-EQ clinch the teams’ title ahead of Jaguar Racing and DS Techeetah.
“I’m lost for words. It’s been such a tough season with highs and lows,” related an emotional de Vries. “Everything came down to the last race and I think we had a lot of fortune on our side today with everything that happened. I’m glad that everyone is OK from the incident at the start.
“We had really good pace in the car, but at the same time, I felt like a target as well — it seemed like nobody was really respecting anything. So, at this point I just wanted to bring it home. My team were telling me to fight Jean-Eric Vergne, but I wasn’t sure why it was important, so I was getting frustrated that they didn’t want to tell me. Then the other drivers kept hitting me — left, right, front, rear. I wasn’t really happy with that, so I was a bit grumpy straight after the race. But now it’s starting to sink in.”
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