Diryah E-Prix Race One, 2021-22: "200 de Vries? That's Why They Call Him Mr. Fahrenheit!"
(copyright FIA Formula E)
Formula E returned from its long hibernation in what appeared to be the kind of mood you’d expect of a very hungry bear emerging into the woods for the first time in months.
There was a new qualifying format, there were drivers settling into new teams, and to cap it all, there was a race which, while it might not rank among the classics, had enough battles and rivalries to savour.
After taking pole position in the first knockout-style qualifying session, Stoffel Vandoorne streaked into a commanding lead along with team-mate and last season’s champion, Nyck de Vries. The Mercedes EQ pair had the most efficient powertrain last season, and looked like having kept their advantage going into this one.
Antonio Felix da Costa was forced into the pits on lap one to retire from the race after contact, and with Jean-Eric Vergne down in the back half of the field in the first laps of the race, it looked like being another forgettable Diriyah weekend for DS Techeetah. While they were struggling, two of the other veterans on the grid, Sam Bird and Lucas di Grassi, were enjoying a fine tussle. Five minutes in, di Grassi, now in the all-black Venturi, took Bird’ Jaguar in Attack Mode, and set about catching up to the back of Andre Lotterer’s Porsche. The German-Belgian seemed to be in an especially combative mood through the race, battling against a Porsche package which was outpaced in real terms by its direct competitors.
There was respite for Lotterer, and the rest of us, when Oliver Rowland spun his Mahindra into the wall, after an agricultural nudge from Robin Frijns in the Envision, who seemed to have grown tired of being repeatedly tapped by Rowland through one of Diriyah’s winding complexes. It gave Formula E an opportunity to flex its latest Safety Car, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, reckoned to be the most powerful Safety Car in motorsport.
The Taycan was certainly a step forward from the Mini Electric Pacesetter, which, while capable, was not a long way from a souped-up road hatchback. The Taycan was able to let cars lap at a faster speed, meaning tyres and mechanical brakes could be kept warmer, preventing, hopefully, some of the incidents we saw last season after the Safety Car went into the pits.
With 26 minutes and a lap to go, Dennis, continuing his form of last season, was still in a strong position, albeit he had been overtaken by Lotterer when the Porsche driver had Attack Mode. Dennis then came back and challenged Lotterer, but was forced to the edge of the outer wall going into Turn 18, with Lotterer moving twice under braking. Dennis later came back and retook third as Lotterer struggled with a lack of usable energy in the latter stages.
While this was happening, Vandoorne, in a seemingly serene lead, missed the Attack Mode zone, letting his colleague de Vries through into the lead - an uncharacteristic error from such a calculating driver.
De Vries appeared, as he always does, as if he had not sweated, when he emerged from the car to accept the winner’s trophy; Vandoorne was magnanimous in second from Dennis, given that the Belgian was aware that Mercedes still took a 1-2 to remember, and that it is a long season ahead.
The final top ten was de Vries, Vandoorne, Dennis, Bird, di Grassi, Edoardo Mortara in the Venturi, Nick Cassidy in the Envision, Vergne, debutant Oliver Askew in the Andretti, and Mitch Evans in the second Jaguar.