Nyck de Vries secured a long-awaited return to the top step of the podium with victory in Race 1 of the Monaco E-Prix. The Dutch driver delivered a strategic drive around the streets of Monaco, taking his first win since Berlin 2022 and marking Mahindra racing’s first race win in the Gen3 era. Pit Debrief spoke with de Vries in the media pen after the race finished.
A reward for Mahindra Racing after difficult years
Mahindra Racing has shown a strong pace over the season, but Monaco delivered the breakthrough result. After several difficult races, de Vries admitted that the victory meant a lot to both him and the team. The Dutch driver explained that the team’s progress this season allowed them to believe in a victory.
“It’s been a little while in Formula E. I think when I joined Mahindra, it wasn’t really on the cards for quite some time. But this year we’ve been very competitive and I think we started to hope and believe that this is possible. But on our side of the garage, we had quite some challenges and have been on the receiving end for a while. So, it’s very nice to bounce back now and give the reward the team deserves.”
Perfectly executed race strategy lead to victory
After topping the timesheets in FP1 and FP2, de Vries lined up on the front row alongside pole-sitter Dan Ticktum. Strategy had an important role, with the Pit Boost creating opportunities and chances for different strategic approaches. De Vries executed the Pit Boost perfectly, allowing the Dutchman to maximize the energy advantage. Together with the attack mode, de Vries fought his way to the front of the field.
“It was kind of theoretically executed perfectly. We built the right energy delta to Dan [Ticktum] and then we did the opposite to him in the pit window and used our energy and pace to make the difference during the pit window. And when Antonio [Félix da Costa] came out in front of me we had to clear him quickly, which we managed to do. And from that point it was kind of managing it to the end.“
Winning again in Monaco
Once de Vries was in front, the Mahindra driver controlled the race from the front and eventually crossed the line ahead of Mitch Evans.
The victory carried extra significance given the location. Monaco has already been a successful venue for de Vries in the past, with two previous victories in Formula 2. Adding Formula E to the list, makes it even more special.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to win already two times in Formula 2. So, I know what it feels and what it means. But to do it again in Formula E, it means a lot “
Nyck de Vries and Mahindra Racing will now look to carry the momentum from today’s breakthrough into tomorrow’s second race of the Monaco E-Prix.
