Season seven World Champion Nyck de Vries was linked to several teams during the current Formula E silly season, but why has he chosen a seat at the struggling Mahindra Racing for his comeback campaign?
It was announced by the Banbury-based team on Wednesday morning that De Vries and Edoardo Mortara had been signed for the 2023/24 season on multi-year contracts, keeping the duo in the side until at least the end of season 11.
Following his abrupt departure from AlphaTauri in Formula 1 after just 10 races, a return to Formula E was widely expected for the four-time Formula E race winner, but not necessarily at Mahindra. De Vries was linked to Maserati MSG Racing, the Nissan Formula E Team and even Andretti Formula E, all teams who were significantly stronger than Mahindra in season nine.
The start of the Gen3 era wasn’t kind to the Indian manufacturer, who were unfortunately last season’s backmarker. Their powertrain was, unfortunately, just not as strong as the other Formula E manufacturers, with one-lap pace having been a real burden. The team also had to withdrew from the Cape Town E-Prix amid concerns with the safety of their rear suspension.
Both Mahindra drivers starting towards the back of the grid was a regular occurrence in season nine, although Lucas di Grassi was able to rescue some solid results at times. Efficiency wasn’t actually too big of a concern, something which often saw Di Grassi go from the back of the field towards the points places.
However, starting at the back often left Di Grassi with just too much work to do, something which the team recognised. So far, the Gen3 era hasn’t gone as planned for Mahindra, although Team Principal Frederic Bertrand has stressed that the side are on a long-term project to get back towards the front in season 11 and 12.
Whilst De Vries admits that “performance is only measured against results”, the Dutchman has had a chance to see and hear from himself all that the team have planned for the future, to get back to where they ultimately should be. This is “really encouraging” to him.
The idea of a project seemingly excites the former Mercedes-EQ driver, with him already being impressed by the “fundamentals” the team have in place. However, with so much being under homologation for season 10, De Vries accepts that the upcoming campaign could be a challenge but that it’s ultimately an “exciting new chapter” for him.
“I thought I escaped Europe and went to the US and I was left out a little bit of all the conversations,” De Vries joked, when asked exclusively by Motorsport Week why he chose Mahindra over all the teams he was linked with.
“But I think meeting with Fred [Bertrand] and having been presented the future roadmap of the team, explaining where it is and what the plans are going forward, I think was really encouraging for me to hear from Fred. And also, I think often in sports, performance is only measured against results, which is fair because that’s what our world is about.
“But I think when I came here and when I spent a little bit of time with the team, I also really see that there are already a lot of fundamentals that are very good. We just need to kind of find a synergy between all of us now to already build on the progress they’ve made through season nine and then hopefully beyond.
“But it doesn’t mean we need to discard season 10 just because we believe the package isn’t quite strong enough. But there’s a lot of work ahead. But I believe in the project and in the people we have here together. So it’s an exciting new chapter.”
Whilst De Vries has only been out of Formula E for one season, a lot has changed in that time. The last time he actually competed in the series was when the Gen2 machinery was still in use, meaning he’s not yet raced the new Gen3 cars.
He’s not a complete stranger to the Gen3 package though, as he’s completed two tests at two different venues behind the wheel of one of the new cars. Both tests took place in 2022 following season eight, when he was expected to join Maserati before his switch to F1 was announced.
It’s not just racing the new era of car he’ll have to get used to, it’s also the new peloton-style of racing which has faced some criticism.
Neither seemingly bother the 28-year-old, who’s targeting to get up to speed “as quickly and best as possible” before Mexico City in January. In regard to the style of racing, De Vries does note that this could change once again in season 10, if fast-charging pit-stops are introduced as planned.
“It’s still Formula E,” De Vries noted, in regard to how long he thinks he’ll need to get back up to speed.
“I’ve actually tested the Gen 3 car, two times in 2022 on two different tracks, and, of course, it’s a different car. And the front motor, new battery, new car bring different dynamics to the race. But if they decide to introduce fast charging this year, that dynamic will change drastically again. So it’s always a moving target.
“Collectively, we’ll try to prepare myself as quickly and best as possible ahead of the season, but I’m sure I’ll get up to speed.”
What De Vries and Mahindra can expect from season 10 won’t truly be discovered until action gets underway in January, with the pecking order after last season’s pre-season test having been very different to what was seen in the first race of the Gen3 era.
Because of that, De Vries is reluctant to make any specific targets in regard to “pure results”; instead, season 10 is about improving the team’s “structure” and “foundation” for the future, when Gen3.5 is introduced in season 11.
“Well, if you want to quantify them in pure results, obviously it’s an impossible question to answer,” De Vries admitted, when asked what he expects from season 10. “But I think as a team we collectively want to become better and improve the kind of structure and the foundation of the team for its future.”
Regardless of what happened last campaign, the future does genuinely look extremely bright for Mahindra, if they can successfully navigate the rocky challenges they’ll likely face in season 10.
De Vries is a proven frontrunner in Formula E who knows what it takes to get a car to the front, something which will work not only in Mahindra’s favour but also in the driver’s, as he looks to bounce back from his disappointing spell in F1.
