Itโs probably fair to say that Nyck de Vriesโ Formula E comeback last season didnโt exactly go to plan. After a stint in Formula 1 following his 2020-21 Formula E world championship title, he returned to the category with Mahindra Racing. But an interrupted pre-season left him going into the campaign on the back foot, then efficiency struggles meant that just two points finishes — towards the end of the season — were the maximum he could muster.
With that now in the rearview mirror, de Vries is heading into a second season with Mahindra, a season where the team is expecting more after a raft of staffing changes and the development of an entirely new drivetrain in the off-season.
โIt’s definitely very nice to have a continuation of all the work we have done last year, and everything will be built together to remain part of the same group of people,โ he tells RACER. โYou build relationships, and you see and you feel that you’re making progress, so it’s nice to continue to be part of that, and to continue to grow on what we’ve started creating together.
โI think it’s very encouraging to feel where we are at this point, especially relative to last year. And it definitely feels better — better preparation, and we are in a better place as a team.โ
De Vries is encouraged by Mahindra’s development work in recent months, which he feels will make the team a stronger challenger. Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images
While bullish about the upcoming campaign, with the season coming at the start of a new homologation cycle and the new GEN3 Evo era, de Vries knows that improvement internally wonโt guarantee a clear step forward.
โWe obviously don’t know what competition is doing,โ he says when asked where he expects Mahindra to be. “We’ve got to remember that we will have six Porsches on the grid, four Jags, four Nissans, four DSs (Stellantis). They are not easy to get through. So we still have a top challenge ahead of us, but I believe in the team and the people when we’ve made good progress.โ
Of his teamโs season-long prospects, de Vries says, โTruthfully speaking, I don’t know. You can’t predict who’s going to be in the top five at the next event, let alone what we are doing this year. I think we’re going to be more competitive. I believe weโll be a little bit further up the grid.โ
One of the major changes being implemented this year is the addition of all-wheel drive, with powered front axles coming into play during qualifying, race starts, and Attack Mode power boosts. Not only will that change driving dynamics, itโll also broaden strategy options, especially around Attack Mode, which will become more of a factor, as de Vries explains.
โIn the past two seasons, the Attack Mode has been there, but you kind of more (have to) get rid of it,โ he says. โIt was almost a penalty, because you would lose track position, and then you would use it to get back in. And the overtaking advantage that it gave you wasn’t really important enough, especially on tracks like London. You wouldn’t be able to defend an Attack. But I think now that that’s going to change the race strategy.โ
The Dutchman is no stranger to an electrified front axle, having raced Toyota’s GR010 HYBRID Hypercar in the World Endurance Championship this season, something he says is โsomewhat comparable.โ
โSo far, it’s been nice to feel the better tires, more grip, four-wheel-drive,โ he adds. โYou can just feel the car come more alive and push the limits a little bit higher.โ
New and improved hardware will be an asset for Mahindra this season, but the learning process will be more intense. Unlike the past two seasons, there wonโt be another team to share the workload with after former customer Abt split to become the factory Lola-Yamaha team.
โHaving less data, less information, is effectively slowing down the learning process a little bit,โ admits de Vries. โOtherwise, everything is multiplied by two. And also, if you have a bad day but your sister team has a good day, you can still learn from each other.โ
Mahindra can continue to build on last year’s team chemistry, as Edoardo Mortara (at left) is once again set to team with de Vries. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images
Negating that, though, will be driver line-up stability. Mahindra will be one of just four out of the 11 competing teams to continue with the same drivers as last season, with Edoardo Mortara on the other side of the garage from de Vries.
โIn a way, I’m a little surprised by that,โ de Vries says of the huge game of musical chairs that has taken place in the off-season. โIf you look at a team like Jaguar, which really is a very good example, that team has been very competitive for many years, but yet they havenโt won a driver championship.
โThey won a team championship only last season, and that just shows that, even though you are a great team, always fighting in front, it takes time for things to all come together. I think some people do not appreciate the time it takes to kind of gel people together.
โThe team is familiar to me — the people are committed, we know each other. So I think it’s definitely a continuation with a lot of changes, but that’s why I think the stability is nice to have, to be able to build.โ
For all that optimism, until all the Formula E teams get on track together, significant unknowns will remain.
โIt’s always exciting to find out,โ de Vries says of how the year ahead will pan out. โI think this year there is definitely more hope, realistic hope, than there was last year. I think we all have a lot of things to look forward to.
