Mahindra Racing driver Nyck de Vries claimed victory in Saturday’s opening Formula E race of the weekend, following an action-packed contest in Monaco.
With a unique race structure where Free Practice, Qualifying, and the race itself all take place on the same day, the circuit was filled with excitement from the early hours of the morning.
Qualifying split drivers into two groups, allowing the top four from each group the opportunity to advance to the quarterfinals. From there, drivers competed head-to-head to seal their place on the starting grid. After qualifying, Dan Ticktum of Cupra Kiro secured pole position alongside Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries on the front row. 2025’s race winners, Oliver Rowland and Sébastien Buemi, found themselves starting from 12th and 15th, respectively.
With a perfect start to the 29-lap race, drivers largely held their positions through the opening laps. With a safety car deployed on Lap 4, drivers were able to reduce gaps, including António Félix da Costa, who had already moved up from eighth to fifth place.
This opening race featured Formula E’s Pit Boost format, adding another strategic element as drivers were required to complete a rapid-charge stop during the race for a 10% energy increase. By the 16th lap, drivers began entering the pits to complete their Pit Boost charge. Among the early drivers to pit were Nyck de Vries, Maximilian Günther, and Mitch Evans, allowing pole-sitter Ticktum to remain in the lead while da Costa made gains in pursuit.
In a strategic use of Attack Mode, da Costa found himself leading the race on Lap 17 as many of the drivers behind him followed suit, entering Attack Mode.
De Vries, however, moved into the lead by Lap 20, overtaking da Costa and remaining ahead of pole-sitter Ticktum, who had come out of his Pit BoostT stop in fourth. Lap 27 of 29 saw a dramatic crash at Turn 10, requiring a Full Course Yellow. Although this minimized any gaps created, there was little time remaining for challengers to overtake de Vries.
The final lap offered a green flag, but no one was able to catch de Vries. Mitch Evans and Dan Ticktum initially crossed the line behind de Vries to round out the top three. Despite this, Ticktum received a post-race drive-through penalty, dropping out of the podium positions and promoting teammate Josep María Martí, known as Pepe Martí, into the top three.
The result now moves Evans into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship, while Martí secured a career-high finish. However, winner Nyck de Vries took time to celebrate a long-awaited win. Since his last Formula E victory in 2022, de Vries has been chasing a return to the top step. With a combination of impeccable, composed driving and an effective, innovative strategy, de Vries claimed victory with a three-second gap to the cars following.
As a former Formula E champion, de Vries is no stranger to the top step on the podium. However, this marked the Dutch driver’s first win with Mahindra Racing. This result also marked the team’s first victory in several seasons, adding further significance to the achievement.
With another race ahead in this double-header weekend, teams now face a quick turnaround as strategies, momentum, and energy management continue to shape the action on the circuit.
View this post on Instagram
Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcasts on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.
Main Photo credit: ACM Matchavariani