Nyck de Vries: “The field is so evenly matched and is always good for a surprise or two”

Nyck de Vries says there is always a surprise in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, so it is always difficult to go into a weekend with any kind of expectations.

The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team driver has scored only two points across the past four races and since his victory in the crazy opening race of the Valencia E-Prix in April.  As a result, he has dropped to sixth in the Championship standings having led them earlier in the year.

Heading into this weekend’s New York City E-Prix around the Brooklyn Street Circuit, de Vries hopes to be in a position to score good points in both races across the weekend, but he expects there to be a surprise or two thrown into the mix that could make it more difficult.

“In all honesty, in a championship like Formula E it’s very difficult to have any expectations heading into a race weekend, as the field is so evenly matched and is always good for a surprise or two,” said de Vries.  “Of course, I’m really looking forward to going racing again.

“We were competitive during the last race weekend in Mexico and had a strong package, so I hope that this New York weekend will favour us more, that we’ll be able to deliver two strong races and come away with a good haul of points.

“I feel very positive about the race weekend and am really looking forward to it.”

“The target is to try and score as many points as possible” – Stoffel Vandoorne

Team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne sits seventh in the standings heading to New York, with the Belgian on an equally lean run that has seen him secure only one top ten in the past four races.

Vandoorne believes the Brooklyn track should be one that suits Mercedes, and coupled with being in group 2 in Qualifying, he hopes this gives him a bit of an advantage as he looks to return to the podium for the first time since Valencia.

“I’m really pleased to be heading back to New York,” said Vandoorne.  “It’s been a while since we last raced there. Last time was in Season 5, but I can still remember having a good qualifying and race.

“New York is a typical Formula E circuit, very winding, extremely narrow and the walls are very close, so quite different to last time out at Puebla, but still, I think it may be one that suits us more. I’ll be in Group 2 for qualifying on Saturday, which I hope will give me a little bit of an advantage.

“In any case, I’m excited to be back out on track. We’ve shown that we’ve got a competitive car and package. We’ll be contenders if we can put all the pieces together. As you would expect, the target is to try and score as many points as possible in New York this weekend.”