De Vries crowned Formula E Champion

The Formula E season came down to the final race weekend with Nyck de Vries winning the racing league’s 2020-21 championship. De Vries made the most of his nearest rivals crashing out of the second race of the weekend to claim the title despite finishing 22nd and 8th, respectively, in Berlin.

De Vries may have been the man of the hour, but the Formula E trophy could have ended the weekend with another driver. The Mercedes EQ Formula E Team man topped the standings with 99 points, seven more than nearest rival Edoardo Mortara, whose crash on Sunday prevented a run for the silverware. It was a fantastic race weekend, so how did it all go down?

Di Grassi claims Saturday ePrix win

De Vries began the weekend leading the Formula E championship, however, a poor qualifying session meant he started the opening race in Berlin in 19th place. Despite starting well, De Vries suffered a puncture resulting him dropping to 22nd after stopping. By the end of Saturday, De Vries’ lead at the top of the Formula E standings was reduced to one point ahead of the final race on Sunday.

Saturday belonged to Lucas Di Grassi and Audi, who marked its departure from the racing series with a penultimate season win. The Brazilian held off Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara at the finish line by a mere 0.141s. DS Techeetahs Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa had sat on the front row but lost out causing the team to drop points in the championship race.

Di Grassi and Mortara fought for position for much of the race, and as it came down to the end, the Brazilian out-maneuvered his rival. Making use of his attack mode, Di Grassi was able to take firm control of first place late in the race. Mortara challenged Di Grassi one last time on the final lap. The Swiss driver made an attempt to pass Di Grassi on the final corner, but the Brazilian held him off for the win.

Mortara took second with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans coming third. The win was Di Grassi’s second of the 2020-21 season, following his previous success in Mexico.

Nato wins first ePrix

While race No. 1 belonged to Di Grassi, the final day of the Formula E season went to Norman Nato. Driving for ROKIT Venturi, the rookie benefitted from a huge starting line crash that took out Evans and Mortara. The crash prevented any of the trio from claiming the title, which could have happened had they not failed to finish a lap in the final race.

Jake Dennis also went into the final day as a title contender only to slam into the wall at Turn 1 following the race restart. The rear of the rookie’s car touched the concrete forcing him straight into the barrier on the outside of the wall.