The Mahindra Racing team entered rounds seven and eight with a lot to gain. As the championship is still anyone’s to grab, both Nyck De Vries and Edoardo Mortara came into the Berlin E-Prix weekend ready to secure critical points for the team. However, the weekend was not as generous to the duo, with frustrations building inside the garage.

Mortara Loses His Championship Lead

When we left Madrid, Mortara had secured himself a significant point haul, putting him in the running for the championship. After only the first race in the Berlin double-header, he sat leading the pack. It seemed as though the Swiss-Italian driver would maintain that position, but difficulties during the second race jeopardised him.

After qualifying, Mortara lined up for the first race in pole position, putting him at a huge advantage. As the lights went out, he fought hard to maintain position, maintaining it even after he took his pit boost. At the chequered flag, his battle with Oliver Rowland ended in defeat, finishing fourth. Despite the position drop, he gained enough points to push him to the top of the championship standings.

It looked as though the positives from the first day would roll over to day 2, but qualifying was not as glamorous as the previous day. Unfortunately, Mortara missed out on the duel sessions, qualifying 10th. With a recovery drive now the target, maintaining his point lead proved difficult. He was lucky to avoid on-track drama, but a P7 finish saw him drop back down to 3rd in the championship, following a podium finish from Pascal Wehrlein and Mitch Evans.

“I’m normally quite self-critical, but we’ve been delivering consistently, which is what we need.” Mortara explains ahead of the Monaco E-Prix. “It’s a long championship, and the focus has to stay on the next race, not on the standings.”

De Vries Plays Catch-Up after Continued Frustrations

So far this season, luck has not been on Nyck De Vries’ side. The Dutchman has continued to have difficult results, and sadly, Berlin was no different. Day 1 qualifying session in Berlin set the mood for what was going to be a long and tough weekend for him. Starting the first race in P17, De Vries knew a recovery drive would be challenging.

His efforts were not in vain, however, as despite the struggle, the Mahindra car came alive under attack mode, moving him up to P9 at the chequered flag. By the second day, it looked as though the streak of bad luck was finally over. He qualified ahead of his teammate, starting in P9, and seemed very likely to secure a solid point finish.

The Berlin E-Prix is rarely ever a simple and calm race, with this being no exception, sadly at De Vries’ expense. On lap 4, both Mahindra drivers went into the hairpin four-cars wide alongside Sebastian Buemi and Nick Cassidy, fighting for track position. While Mortara escaped scrape free, De Vries sustained damage to his car, which prematurely ended his race. What could have been a positive weekend became another burden.

“There are still plenty of positives to take away from this event. There are areas we need to improve, but generally, the pace was strong, so we look forward to the next round.” – Nyck De Vries reflecting on the weekend.

The Push towards Monaco

Another double-header awaits in the glamorous iconic streets of Monte Carlo, Monaco. The two drivers come into the weekend with different individual goals. As De Vries looks towards redemption, Mortara aims to reclaim the lead of the championship. As a constructor, the team leave sBerlin 23 points richer than when they arrived, putting them in a strong position.

Mortara is currently only 8 points off the lead, meaning two consistent high-point finishes in Monaco should bump him straight to the top spot. His Dutch teammate sits significantly lower in the standings, but securing points will critically aid the team’s fight overall.

Ahead of rounds 9 and 10, the team knows that consistency & accuracy equate to success. Team Principal & CEO Frederic Bertrand spoke about the team’s outlook for the race weekend. “Monaco is one of the most demanding weekends of the year, and our approach there is the same we’ve had at every weekend this season.”