Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries ready for the start of Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
Nyck de Vries said:
“This is a new year, new season and that means that it will be all to play for again – for everyone, not just us. Above all, I’m motivated to start racing again and I’m ready for this season’s challenges.”
Stoffel Vandoorne said:
“I feel like we’ve done our homework and prepared as much as we can. Now let’s get down to business and see how it goes.”
Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship gets underway for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team this coming weekend, and for the fourth year in a row, the Diriyah E-Prix will be the curtain-raiser event.
As last year, the two races on Friday and Saturday will be held under floodlights. The circuit is 2.495 km in length and features 21 corners. The track runs alongside the historic city walls of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Diriyah.
Back at the start of Season 6, Diriyah was also the venue for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team’s first two races in the all-electric racing series. Stoffel Vandoorne finished third on the podium in the team’s debut race, with Nyck de Vries also scoring points in sixth. One year ago, Nyck secured a maiden Formula E victory by winning the season opener.
This year, the Diriyah E-Prix is again being staged as a double-header with a race on Friday and another on Saturday (start times on both occasions will be 17:03 GMT). New this season, however, is the qualifying format in which the drivers compete in head-to-head duels after a group stage.
Furthermore, the drivers have more power at their disposal as a result of a rule change: the available power in the race increases from 200 kW to 220 kW, and when using the attack mode, the drivers can now call up 250 kW instead of 235 kW.
Another innovation is that the race duration of 45 minutes plus one lap can be extended by up to ten minutes in the event of a Safety Car or Full Course Yellow. For every minute of a Safety Car or Full Course Yellow situation, 45 seconds will be added to the race time. If either of these phases extends beyond the 40-minute mark or only begin after it, the race duration will not be extended as a result.
Where to watch
Don’t miss any of the action this weekend, and follow the team on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Or, head here to find out how to watch all sessions live in your region.
Round 1
Session, Date, Time (GMT)
Practice 1: 27 January 2022 (15:00 – 15:30)
Practice 2: 28 January 2022 (10:30 – 11:00)
Qualifying:28 January 2022 (12:40 – 13:55)
E-Prix: 28 January 2022 (17:03 – 18:00)
Round 2
Session, Date, Time (GMT)
Practice 3: 29 January 2022 (10:30 – 11:00)
Qualifying: 29 January 2022 (12:40 – 13:55)
E-Prix: 29 January 2022 (17:03 – 18:00)
Further information, statistics and facts about the upcoming E-Prix can be found in the Race Facts on our media site.
