Ian James: Making the Mercedes Star Shine
(Photo: copyright FIA Formula E)
Ian James may have only been in charge of Mercedes EQ Formula E for a season, but he’s had a long career in the automotive industry at various levels of both McLaren Automotive (the road car arm), and Mercedes-Benz, and has worked as an engineer, a marketer, and a senior manager, bringing him the kind of all-round experience money can’t buy when it comes to speaking the language of both engineers and board members.
Nonetheless, he is quite self-deprecating about his work as an engineer at McLaren. “Yes, I’m an engineer by trade, but a pretty terrible one, a jack of all trades and a master of none! In the position I’m in at the moment, I’ve got a phenomenal team working with me, who bring that focus to drive the team in the right direction, whether that’s from an engineering perspective or a marketing perspective. Working in motorsport, it’s a privilege to work with people who are at the top of their game, and have a passion for what they do - it’s tremendously rewarding.”
Nyck de Vries, whose car is in the early-season livery (photo: copyright FIA Formula E)
Just as there were expectations on James at the start of the season, he expected certain things from Formula E, many of which have materialised. “The expectations of there being chaos in a race, of there being curveballs thrown at you that you have to work around, that’s definitely come to fruition. Because of that, everything else comes as a bit of a surprise, you have to be able to react very quickly.”
“In that sense, I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the strong start that we had to the season. We obviously had a good momentum over the first couple of races, then we had a few own goals, shall I say, and a little bit of bad luck, that comes with racing, and that set us a little bit on the back foot.”
Those “curveballs” have come thick and fast for Mercedes’ engineers and drivers, and while Nyck de Vries was new to Formula E in Season Six, Stoffel Vandoorne and many of the operational side of the team had worked for HWA Racelab in the previous season. “It’s been hugely important. That was part of our overall strategy, and it gives us a kind of understanding, if you like, for the eccentricities of Formula E. That’s important, because we came to these races from a Formula One or a DTM background, and while some of that experience is important and can carry over, Formula e is just so totally different.”
“That said, being a manufacturer is very different and brings a new dimension to that challenge, and we’ve been on a very steep learning curve. I think what we’ve been able to show this year, despite being new to it, is that despite the fact we’re in our first year, we have a strong basis that we can now develop further.”
Though things have been very tough for both drivers in Berlin, the speed and calmness of Vandoorne, along with his F1 and Formula E experience, has anchored the team. “What we saw straight away is that he’s got an incredible talent, and when that’s employed, as it normally is, then he’s a force to be reckoned with. Given the right tools, he’s got a phenomenal chance to challenge for race wins and championships. He brings with him a quiet confidence that steers the team in the right direction. He’s very humble, and especially for a young team, he’s got the personality to take it in the right direction, and that’s really important. “
Stoffel Vandoorne, “an incredible talent” (photo: copyright FIA Formula E)
James also praised de Vries, who has shown frequent snatches of race-winning pace, while also getting involved in a number of wheel-to-wheel incidents. “He’s an extremely exciting prospect. We haven’t necessarily, as a team, given him the chance, at every race, to shine, but I think that’s something you’ll see changing in the future, and he’ll hopefully have the chance to improve too. Nyck is more mature than his years, and that’s helped to cement the team together.”
Many drivers were linked with Mercedes before the season began, and the search for a driver was as involved as a business recruitment process, with hiring the right sort of personality for a new team seen as paramount.
“The team has come together from different areas and different organisations. You can have a star driver who’s great on the track but not at gelling the team together. I think that wouldn’t have worked at this early stage.”
“We needed drivers who could be part of that journey and that development, and with Nyck, I mentioned his maturity, that’s something that fits very well. I remember [his first test day], and when he got out of the car, his feedback was super direct, he didn’t pull any punches, super clear, but the comments were encouraging. He’ll tell it straight, but knows how to put a metaphorical arm around people and get everyone pulling in the same direction.”
De Vries (photo: copyright FIA Formula E)
James felt sure his drivers would be able to contain any future rivalry, too - should they both be given a car in the future that puts them in a title fight together. “I think both drivers have the talent to get to that position. We’ve been very clear about what the rules of engagement are when we race each other. We’ve got an advantage that, being at the beginning of the journey, we don’t have any baggage or history behind us, so we were able to set our expectations very early on. If, at any stage, things don’t work out in a way that we would expect them to, we’ll get everyone together and talk about it very openly, even if that’s painful. In doing so, my hope is that it never escalates into something which is damaging for the team as a whole.”
For James and Mercedes, one of the biggest challenges of Formula E is the constraints of time over a single-day race meeting. “The event is such that, as it’s so concentrated into such a short time, you have to talk about issues as quickly as possible, you have to work together to do that. As soon as they jump out of the car, a discussion takes place between them and the race engineer, a debrief if you like. Should there be any major issues, you have to grab that at the time.”
All team members are given the care you would expect of a major car manufacturer. “We as a team believe it’s incredibly important they have a support network around them. We have measures in place to make sure there’s something they can go to, whether that’s a physical or even mental or psychological issue, to talk it out.”
Team welfare is key for James (photo: copyright FIA Formula E)
“The hours are incredibly long in Formula E, and pressurised as well. Because of the speed we run through from PF1 to FP2 to quali and the race, we need to be on it and be sharp. It’s been fascinating to hear from people who’ve come from other race series, which are incredibly demanding, but maybe in a different way, because it’s more spaced out. I think there has been a change of approach that we’ve had in Formula E to make sure people are aware of the pressures, and are able to cope with that.”
After a promising but tough year for Mercedes in Formula E, James will be uncompromising in his desire to work towards wins and titles once the team heads home from Tempelhof.