Four questions for Nyck de Vries

You are going into your second year in Formula E in season 7. Do you already feel at home in the series and in the team?

Nyck de Vries: “At the beginning of our debut season, the team had to find a little bit of familiarity and get used to it. That also applied to me because at the beginning I was still in my Formula 2 season, but at the same time preparations for Formula E were underway. I had to do everything at the same time and just swam with them. I probably didn’t feel quite as at home as the Descend is now. That always takes some time. You can’t force that, instead a strong working relationship has developed over the course of the season and we have grown closer and closer together. You don’t notice it in the respective field, but looking back I see that there is a clear difference between how I felt at the beginning and now in this environment and in the team. I am very satisfied with my place in the team and everyone involved. “

How difficult was it for you to learn important aspects such as energy management and the strategic elements of Formula E?

Nyck de Vries: “Although I didn’t have that much time, during the test drives before the start of the season, they try to prepare for anything that might be expected on the race weekends or during the season. But the fact is, none of it is the same as in a real race. On a test day, you are alone on the track and do your laps. It’s kind of a perfect race, but in a real race you are constantly fighting against other drivers and have to constantly make decisions, for example whether you should consume energy now, whether you should attack, defend or first hold onto the place and wait and see the race developed. It is very difficult and a great challenge to meet this stability perfectly. After all, you also have to deal with opponents whose strategy you don’t know. That’s very difficult. In general, the format in Formula E is a huge challenge. Everything takes place in one place, you have very little training time – everything is different and demanding. But ultimately it’s racing. It’s a racing car and I would say that I’ve adapted well. Of course I still have a lot to learn, but we are on the right track. In the championship, too, everything was new and different in the beginning. You are expected to perform straight away, but at the same time you have to get used to it. I’m happy with how quickly we adjusted – as a team, but also personally. Formula E is a very interesting and innovative series that, in my opinion, is one of the biggest. For me it is the way into the future and I am abundant snug that I can be there. “

In which areas would you like to improve in season 7 compared to your rookie year?

Nyck de Vries: “There is never just one key to success. There are always many different aspects that lead to a result. I think qualifying is very important and I would like to improve a bit in Tall Pole. If we then start a little further up the front in the races, we have good chances and a strong package to achieve a good result. But when we sometimes started from a little further back, it was more difficult for us in the race. Under these conditions I would also like to improve, especially with a view to the clever use of energy and when overtaking. “

What are you most looking forward to in season 7?

Nyck de Vries: “Above all, I’m looking forward to driving on typical Formula E tracks again. Hopefully the racing calendar and the environment will be a bit more normal again than at the end of last season. Formula E did a fantastic job at the finale in Berlin to set up a safe event for everyone involved, but we did a lot of races in the same place there. In fact, I’ve only driven a third of the tracks that would normally have been on the calendar, and I’m curious to discover the other tracks and venues that Formula E still has to offer. “