In the two cockpits of the new Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow (******************************************************************************************) Driver Stoffel Vandoorne and current leader of the FIA Formula 2 championship Nyck de Vries place.
“With Stoffel and Nyck we have committed two strong, viable drivers who can continue to learn and grow with us in our debut season in Formula E,” said Ian James, Team Principal of the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team. “At Mercedes-Benz we look back 125 years in motorsport. But we know that Formula E is very different from any other race series we've ever competed in. We do everything to be successful. But we know that there is a steep learning curve ahead of us. “
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In its debut season, the team draws on the know-how and the combined motorsport experience of the Mercedes family. At the heart of the Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow (**************************************************************************************************) was designed and developed in the UK, the global competence center of the Daimler Group for high-performance hybrid technology. In Brixworth, the hybrid power units will continue to be developed, with which Mercedes has succeeded in each of the World Cup double in Formula 1 over the past five years.
HWA AG from Affalterbach, which has already gained experience in Formula E last season with Team HWA RACELAB, will be racing the vehicles. The team also receives support from reigning Formula 1 constructor champion, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport from Brackley.
“The cooperation between Affalterbach, Brackley, Brixworth and Stuttgart will be enormously important,” added Ian James, who was introduced to the team at the IAA in Frankfurt as part of the team presentation. “Fortunately, the experts who develop our powertrain for Formula E have already gained a great deal of experience with Formula 1 hybrid power units. This knowledge transfer helps us, but Formula E is a completely different challenge that we should not underestimate. ”
The riders: Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries
With the driver duo Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries, the team starts with a Formula E experienced pilot and an up-and-coming talent in his debut season.
For Stoffel it is after his debut year with HWA RACELAB the second season in the electric racing series. At the same time, he can look back on the experience of 41 Grands Prix in Formula One. “I'm overjoyed to join Mercedes,” Stoffel said. “Already last year I was able to gain experience in the series with HWA. Now I am very happy to officially belong to the Mercedes family. “
“The entry of Mercedes is a great opportunity for all of us,” said Stoffel. “The car looks fantastic. I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team. The potential is huge and I can not wait to get started. “
Nyck is approaching his debut season in Formula E. He is currently leading the FIA Formula 2 championship four races before the end of the season, with the final coming one week after Nyck's Formula E debut as part of the Formula One season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“It's a very special feeling to be in Formula E for Mercedes-Benz EQ, and I am honored that the team has chosen me as one of its two drivers,” said Nyck. “Formula E is a great platform that has already established itself as one of the largest and most professional racing series alongside Formula One. It's a great opportunity for which I'm really grateful to Mercedes. “
“The team has taken me very well and it's great fun to work with them,” said Nyck. “But ultimately, it depends on the performance on the racetrack as soon as the season starts. It's all pretty new to me. That's why I honestly have not thought about setting a goal for my debut season. Of course, Mercedes would like to fight for victory and titles at some point. Hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later. But until then, me and the team expect a tremendous learning curve to become competitive. “
Nyck has known his new teammate for many years from their shared times in karting. “The motorsport family is quite small and you know each other from a young age,” said Nyck. “I'm looking forward to riding in the same team with Stoffel. He has a lot of experience and is a great driver. Accordingly, I hope that I can learn a lot from him, so that together we can get the best possible result for the team. ”
The car: a racing car for a new era
New racing series, new challenge, new race car: Curtain up for the Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow (************************************************) At the beginning of March this year, the brand's first all-electric racing car saw the light of day at the International Motor Show in Geneva – at that time with a special “Teaser Livery”.
Shortly thereafter, at the end of March in Varano, Italy, the first exit with the new racing car, the test drives the team continued in the following months, among others, in Italy and Mallorca.
The Gen2 race car of Formula E has a unique design in motorsport. While the chassis is a unitary part, the teams can demonstrate their technical expertise in the development of the powertrain. Thus, the components of the powertrain (inverter, engine, transmission, parts of the rear axle and the software for energy management) may be freely developed.
Stoffel already knows the car from the test drives in Varano and Mallorca. “We made good progress and everything went smoothly,” he said. “It's exciting, after the first functional tests, to slowly start working on different areas.”
Nyck has also driven the Gen2 car in the past, so it will not be a complete new ground for him when he takes his first seat in his new car. “But the Formula E car is very different from any other vehicle I've driven so far,” said Nyck. “It is a very big challenge and the level of competition is extremely high. There are a lot of strong and prestigious riders in the championship, the cars are relatively similar, but there are a lot more freedoms than in Formula 2, for example, all of which makes it an incredibly exciting race series. “
Until the race debut of the new Silver Arrow “Time flies and there is still a lot to do,” Stoffel said. “We have only a few days left until the season opener in Saudi Arabia, which is approaching with huge steps. It's going to be a big challenge, but I'm looking forward to it with confidence. ”
The Future of Mobility
Formula E is more than exciting motorsport: within the shortest time, the electric racing series has established itself as a pioneer for technological innovation, sustainability and electromobility over the past five years.
“The Formula E brings the enthusiasm and passion for racing in the city centers – this is a unique concept,” said Mercedes-Benz Motorsport Director Toto Wolff. “So the race series is a new playground for us. But we are looking forward to the challenge of demonstrating the performance of our battery-electric drives in motorsport as well and positively boosting the EQ brand. “
With the entry into the formula E Mercedes is the only automaker of the world, which takes both in the formula 1 as well as the formula E. This strategy allows Mercedes to bring the lessons of both championships to the streets. In this way, both platforms together represent an important technology driver for the entire Mercedes family and help to shape the future of the automobile.
“In Formula E, we will have the opportunity to address a young target group with an interest in the future of mobility directly in the inner cities of major cities,” added Toto Wolff. “At the same time, it is a fantastic platform to ensure that the sustainability principle reaches this target group as well. Of course, we are first and foremost racers, but for me this constellation is one of the other driving factors behind our involvement in Formula E. ”
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