Diriyah E-Prix: Mercedes' de Vries wins FE's first night race
Mercedes racer Nyck de Vries controlled every lap of the Diriyah E-Prix from pole position to score his first Formula E race win ahead of Edoardo Mortara.

De Vries completed a race one clean sweep, topping both practice sessions, group qualifying and the superpole shootout as the new Mercedes car made a dominant competitive debut in FE's first night race in Riyadh.
The manufacturer’s powertrain wrapped up an effective 1-2, with customer team Venturi Racing driver Edoardo Mortara pulling a late move on Audi’s Rene Rast to score second.
De Vries made a very clean getaway to convert his pole position into the lead on the approach to Turn 1 as he stretched out an immediate 1.2s advantage. His initial escape was aided by a poor start for second-starting Pascal Wehrlein. The Porsche driver then had to defend from Rast, which delayed the pair.
Although de Vries ran for much of the race with 1% less useable energy, he remained in control of the race despite two safety car intervals.
A brief concern regarding overconsumption stopped de Vries from pulling completely clear, but he soon swapped mode to amend the issue and balance it out.
In that time, Rast made his move for second place. He passed Wehrlein around the outside on the approach to the Turn 18 chicane, which prompted Wehrlein to dive for his first use of the 235kW attack mode.
But the Audi driver never truly closed in on de Vries to threaten his lead, and after the two safety car interludes, the Dutch racer ran to victory by an emphatic 4.1s.
Fourth-starting Edoardo Mortara used his attack mode to devasting effect, pulling an astonishing double pass on the Jaguar of Mitch Evans and then Wehrlein. Having access the higher power mode, he easily outdragged Evans and then darted across his nose to weave through the shrinking gap between him and Wehrlein.
Mortara did drop back to third after Rast used his second attack mode, but a second safety car – called for Maximillian Gunther’s heavy crash into the wall after clattering an apex barrier – nullified Rast’s advantage almost immediately.
That allowed Mortara to take attack mode on the restart and pass the three-time DTM champion to score an impressive second place finish. Evans then managed to demote Rast a place further, as Wehrlein fell to a somewhat quiet fifth place.
The Nissan e.dams charge was headed by Oliver Rowland, a late climber thanks to BMW Andretti driver Gunther’s shunt. He also gained two positions from the collision between Sam Bird and Alex Lynn, who had been trading placed for sixth.
But as Bird lunged for the inside line, Lynn appeared to pull across the track to leave Bird with nowhere to go and they spun, ending up facing nose-to-nose. Lynn would retire almost immediately with broken front-left suspension, and Bird continued for some time before pulling into the pits after reporting a strange noise from his car.
That all allowed a recovering Alexander Sims to lead the Mahindra Racing charge in seventh, as yet another fanboost reward gave second Mercedes driver Stoffel Vandoorne fastest lap and eighth place. Lucas di Grassi completed the Audi line-up in ninth, as Oliver Turvey was a strong 10th for the improving NIO 333 team.
After a botched group one qualifying run, reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa did well to progress form 18th to 11th, despite tangling with 13th-placed Sebastien Buemi over the line.
The pair were split by the BMW Andretti of rookie driver Jake Dennis, with fellow first-timers Norman Nato and Nick Cassidy in 14th and 19th.
Double champion DS Techeetah driver Jean-Eric Vergne ran to a tame 15th ahead of the second Porsche of Andre Lotterer.
Race results:
Cla | # | Driver | Team | Laps | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 17 | | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 32 | ||
2 | 48 | | | 32 | 4.119 | |
3 | 20 | | Jaguar Racing | 32 | 4.619 | |
4 | 33 | | | 32 | 4.852 | |
5 | 99 | | | 32 | 7.962 | |
6 | 22 | | | 32 | 9.318 | |
7 | 29 | | | 32 | 9.686 | |
8 | 5 | | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 32 | 9.973 | |
9 | 11 | | | 32 | 11.089 | |
10 | 8 | | | 32 | 15.518 | |
11 | 13 | | | 32 | 16.225 | |
12 | 27 | | | 32 | 17.025 | |
13 | 23 | | | 32 | 17.273 | |
14 | 71 | | | 32 | 17.312 | |
15 | 25 | | | 32 | 18.402 | |
16 | 36 | | | 32 | 18.417 | |
17 | 4 | | | 32 | 18.822 | |
18 | 88 | | | 32 | 19.072 | |
19 | 37 | | | 32 | 19.951 | |
20 | 7 | | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 32 | 20.174 | |
21 | 6 | | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 32 | 20.586 | |
28 | | | 23 | 9 Laps | ||
10 | | Jaguar Racing | 22 | 10 Laps | ||
94 | | | 16 | 16 Laps | ||
View full results |
Related video

Previous article
Cassidy: "No point getting upset" over losing superpole lap
Next article
Bird: Lynn left me no room in race-ending FE crash

About this article
Series | Formula E |
Event | Diriyah ePrix I |
Sub-event | Race |
Drivers | Nyck de Vries |
Teams | Mercedes |
Author | Matt Kew |
Diriyah E-Prix: Mercedes' de Vries wins FE's first night race
How Vergne and Vandoorne found redemption in Rome
Another Formula E double-header, another double dose of frantic action. While the form guide remains unpredictable following fightback wins for Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne in Rome, the speed and consistency of Mercedes – both on and off the track – could have its rivals worried for what is to follow
What Nissan's commitment to Gen3 reveals about Formula E's future
Formula E's Gen3 era grid continues to take shape, after Nissan opted to commit to the series for another four years. Nissan's global chief operating officer explains why it has thrown its lot in with FE while other high-profile marques have decided to call it quits.
Why the new Formula E season got off to such a controversial start
With the new Formula E season belatedly getting underway in Saudi Arabia, the championship appeared to try to make up for lost time with an overspill of action and controversy on and off the track. While some talking points could have serious repercussions, it was an explosive opener for many reasons.
The eight major plotlines to watch in Formula E 2021
The delayed 2020-21 Formula E season gets underway this week with a double-header in Saudi Arabia. The testing times were too close to call a favourite, but that's not the only area of interest to follow as the championship enters a crucial year
Why Formula E's 2021 season will be a crucial litmus test
As off-track politics threatens to overshadow events on it, the upcoming Formula E season is perhaps its most important since the championship's inception. And that's a shame, given that the focus should be on what promises to be its closest title fight yet.
How Mercedes and Porsche can avoid a difficult second FE album
Mercedes and Porsche compete to win and have done so across the board: in Formula 1, sportscars, the Dakar Rally and endurance road races - even working together to break land speed records. Next in the crosshairs is the Formula E teams' championship crown.
What Formula E must do for McLaren to act on its attraction
News that McLaren is formally considering a Formula E move is a much-needed boost for a series that took some punches at the end of 2020. But to allay any doubts that Zak Brown may have, FE must take action on its biggest potential stumbling block
Why BMW and Audi have pulled the plug on Formula E
BMW and Audi shocked the Formula E fraternity by announcing their departures at the end of the 2020-21 season. Overnight, the championship has been dealt something of a "wake-up call" - including questions about its relevance to manufacturers.