Mercedes won’t be ‘deluded’ by strong start in Formula E

Mercedes is “keeping both feet firmly on the ground” despite its impressive start to life in Formula E ahead of this weekend’s third round in Santiago, Chile.

Mercedes made its full Formula E debut at the 2019-20 season-opener at the end of November in Saudi Arabia, where it scored two podium finishes to take an early lead in the teams’ championship.

The result far exceeded its pre-season expectations, giving drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries a boost ahead of the campaign’s resumption on Saturday.

Mercedes Formula E chief Ian James said that while the result offered “great motivation” to the team, it would not be getting ahead of itself and resetting its sights heading to Santiago.

“Not only did Nyck and Stoffel do an outstanding job, but the whole team has shown what they are capable of. Besides finishing with two podiums, we showed a certain level of consistency in our performance,” James said.

“However, you could see what Formula E is about: races are unpredictable and the qualifying format provides its own, unique challenge.

"Over the last weeks, we have had a close look at all we learned during our first races. For Chile, we want to continue on this path. It's now about retaining the necessary focus.

“Unlike in Saudi, the high temperatures in Santiago will certainly be a challenge. Therefore, we stick with our original goal to finish with both cars in the points. Above all, the team just wants to get racing again.”

James’ thoughts were echoed by de Vries, who took sixth in the opening race as Vandoorne picked up a brace of podium finishes, and conceded he was disappointed not to have continued the season sooner than the two-month break.

“We've had a short break since the Diriyah season opener, but I would have preferred it to have been not quite so long. I thought we were well prepared for Saudi Arabia and had a good weekend, which is why I would have liked to have continued racing and to have built on our success straightaway,” de Vries said.

“But at the same time, it was also nice to relax a little after a hard year. I would love to take the momentum of a good first weekend with me into the rest of the season but we are well aware of the challenges that now face us and know just how strong the competition is.

“That's why we're taking things one step at a time and keeping both feet firmly on the ground. We intend to focus on the task in hand and not allow ourselves to be deluded by our positive start.”