Nyck de Vries returns to Formula E

Indian Formula E team Mahindra Racing have announced the signing of Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara on a multi-year agreement, which will kick off with the tenth season of the Formula E World Championship. 

De Vries, a former Formula E World Champion, having won in Season 7, returns to Formula E after a short and unsuccessful stint with AlphaTauri in Formula One, who replaced him in the middle of the 2023 season. The Dutchman made his F1 debut with Williams in the 2022 Italian Grand Prix and impressed all, earning himself a full-time seat with AlphaTauri for 2023. A poor start and a string of poor performances, however, saw him get replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. 

Joining De Vries at Mahindra Racing will be Edoardo Mortara, who has previously won the Formula Three Euroseries. 

Frédéric Bertrand, CEO, Mahindra Racing, commented:

“I am delighted to welcome Edo and Nyck to the Mahindra Racing family.  As a team, we are all embarking on a journey to bring Mahindra Racing back to the front of the grid in the coming years. With their speed and experience, Nyck and Edo will play a key role in driving the team towards that goal, and I know everybody is feeling very motivated to work with them. Equally important for the team are the drivers’ appetites for a long-term project, which makes them the perfect fit for Mahindra Racing at the beginning of this journey.

“We anticipate next year will be another year of development and progress, and in a championship like Formula E, success is impossible to achieve overnight. But the signing of Nyck and Edo, along with new recruits within the wider team, puts down a solid foundation on which we can build. Much as Mahindra Automotive seeks to lead a revolution in the commercial space, we aim to match that ambition and innovation on the track. The support and synergy across the brand between both programmes will be invaluable as we aim to similarly make progress on-track.“

Nyck de Vries said:

“It’s really exciting to be joining such a major automotive manufacturer as Mahindra, and to represent them in Formula E. I’m particularly excited about the future plans for the team. The basis is already strong, and the team has all the attributes to succeed. I believe going forwards we will be able to extract even more potential from the project and the organisation, so to be a part of that process was very appealing for me. 

“I think it’s no secret that the team has had a bit of a rough start to Gen3, although there were positive signs of improvement during the second half of last season. I believe the team can continue to build on those learnings, and with the additional changes and plans in place for the future, we can make even greater steps forward in performance at the start of our new journey together. Coming back to Formula E will feel like coming home. I’ve been part of the Formula E family for three seasons, I know everybody very well. I’m looking forward to being back in a familiar environment, and to be back somewhere where ultimately, I’ve always enjoyed my racing.“

Edoardo Mortara added:

“I’m extremely excited to be joining Mahindra Racing. It’s a team that I’ve been looking at for several years now, they have been in Formula E since the beginning of the Championship, so there’s a lot of experience there. What I could also feel from the people here is that we share the same values. We have a great project in front of us, but I can see a lot of determination and motivation from everyone in the team, and this is so important.

“Mahindra is also such a big automotive manufacturer, with a worldwide reputation. I’m extremely proud to join and be a representative of this prestigious group. I can’t wait to get started, and I’m sure that, if we put in the necessary amount of work, we will be able to be successful in this very competitive championship in the future.“