(Motorsport-Total.com) – With three wins, four podiums and eight results within the points, Mercedes has collected a lot of points over the course of the 2021 Formula E season. For a short time the team was even at the top of the overall standings, but after a racing weekend in New York with no points, the team currently has to settle for fifth place in the overall standings. Mercedes is now in the role of the hunter and no longer the hunted.
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Mercedes now has to chase after the competition in Formula E.
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After the race at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain, where Nyck de Vries won and Stoffel Vandoorne finished third, Mercedes sniffed at the top of the team standings. Since the race, however, the team has only scored twice in Puebla, Mexico. Due to the disastrous double header in New York, Mercedes not only lost the lead, but also lost ground a little.
Virgin takes the lead
The team is currently 33 points short of Virgin at the top of the ranking. Compared to ‘Motorsport-Total.com’, de Vries said: “To be honest, we weren’t competitive this weekend. We have to look in the mirror and admit that we weren’t strong enough. That’s the reality. We weren’t competitive enough. “
Compared to Virgin, Mercedes did not do well in New York: While de Vries only drove from 22nd place to 18th place, Virgin driver Robin Frijns made it from 21st place to eighth and thus in the points. According to the Mercedes team boss, the setback in New York finally turns the team into a “hunter” in Formula E. But he is also combative, because the team will “leave no stone untouched” in order to turn things around.
Vandoorne unlucky, but convinced of pace
In contrast to his Dutch team-mate, Vandoorne had a lot of bad luck: The Belgian struggled with punctured tires in qualifying and in the race. That’s why he had to start Sunday with tires from Saturday. He told ‘Motorsport-Total.com’: “I was practically on the road with tires that had the whole race from the previous day under their belt. We lacked the pace, we had no grip on the right rear and no rubber left Race has started. “
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Vandoorne believes in Mercedes’ pace in Formula E. Zoom
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However, the former Formula 1 driver is convinced of the overall pace. According to Vandoorne, it is not possible to see a downward trend just because a Formula E race weekend does not go according to plan. The Belgian believes Mercedes will strike back and heave back into the battle for the title. However, both de Vries and Vandoorne have to find their way back on the road to success.
Qualifying format has a big impact
According to de Vries, there are also outside influences that the team cannot influence at all: “Of course we made mistakes and we take responsibility for that, but the biggest problem is the qualifying format. Whoever starts in group one is for whom the best possible position eleventh place. The disadvantage is so great that it is really difficult to get into the top 10. At the end of the field there is simply chaos. We had three such races, so what should we do? “
In the first New York race, de Vries was involved in an accident at Turn 10 on the first lap. “I was hit from behind in three races in a row,” said the frustrated Dutchman. “I tried to avoid the car at Turn 10, but that was not possible. I lost my right fender and of course the balance was gone. I brought the car to the finish line, but I had no chance to fight.”
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