Mercedes FE Media
F1 News
Vandoorne takes an important step towards his world title in New York
- GPblog.com
For the Mercedes team, it was another strong weekend in New York. The German formation sees Stoffel Vandoorne strengthening his place in the lead, while Nyck de Vries's consistent performances ensure he has a chance of prolonging the constructors' world title.
Vandoorne in sight of the title
This weekend the ePrix of New York was on the calendar and it was also a Double Header. Two races in one weekend and therefore a lot of points to be scored for the championship. Vandoorne did good business with fourth and second place and strengthened his lead in the standings. The lead over number two Edoardo Mortara is now eleven points.
''Second place is a great result. All in all, the whole weekend here in New York City went well for us in terms of results, with a P4 yesterday and P2 today. Especially after what happened yesterday with that big crash in the first race. The team had to change the chassis and rebuild a full new car overnight - but they gave me a good one again today'', the Belgian states in his team's press release. In the rainy conditions, Vandoorne's performance went wrong at the end, but because of those conditions, the FIA decided to keep the race order from before the caution. As a result, Vandoorne retained his fourth place.
De Vries can forget prolongation
De Vries was unable to attack his teammate this weekend. The Dutchman had to settle for eighth and seventh, which means he also remains stuck on P8 in the standings. With four races to go the gap of 72 points has become almost unbridgeable. A prolongation of his world title does not seem to be in the cards.
''We had a great package today, although we struggled a bit with the balance, we made good use of our tools in the car and managed to keep on top of it, so I felt quite competitive. The fight was good, though obviously I am disappointed it didn't play out. That bump in the track surface is quite dangerous, and it took me by surprise - I lost control of the car, and that was it'', said De Vries about his incident in the second race.
In a fortnight, the Formula E drivers will be back in action for the ePrix of London. A Double Header will also take place then. The final two races of the season will be held on the street circuit of Seoul in South Korea on 13 and 14 August.