How Mercedes began its Formula E swansong in swaggering style

As the laps ticked down in the second Diriyah E-Prix, Nyck de Vries looked set to complete the perfect start to his Formula E title defence with two wins on the bounce. Although he fell away, the Mercedes-powered Venturi of Edoardo Mortara picked up the pieces to underline the potency of the three-pointed star's powertrain.

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There was something quite poetic about the Diriyah circuit having to be quite literally dusted off as Formula E’s eighth season began in earnest. Desert sands and the seemingly never-ending backdrop of construction work had sprinkled a layer of dirt atop the track, depriving the drivers of grip during the early part of the season-opening weekend.

Unsurprisingly, the dustiness – and perhaps rustiness - claimed an early victim: the prized scalp of the reigning champion. Nyck de Vries made a somewhat inauspicious start to his title defence, slipping at Turn 3 at the start of the opening practice session to catch his left-rear corner against the wall. A vital 30 minutes of running was snatched away by the sands of time.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake Boxall-Legge Autosport’s Technical Editor. Having studied Automotive Engineering with Motorsport at the University of Hertfordshire, West Country-born Jake's original ambition was to design racing cars. During a year between studies in which he accidentally rekindled a love of writing, he took up a Master's in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes. Halfway through his master's year, he was offered a place on the Autosport Academy, conducting occasional freelance duties before becoming the press officer for Formula 2 and GP3 in 2018. Autosport offered him a return to the fold later that year to serve as its Technical Editor. His voice appears on a number of videos and podcasts, and can often be found writing about terrible Formula 1 cars in excruciating detail. In his spare time, Jake enjoys baking and blames his failure to make it past the Great British Bake-Off interviews on his tenuous grasp on choux pastry. His dream is to open a brunch cafe - and his willingness to make outrageous puns in inappropriate situations has earned him the contempt of his colleagues.