Why Formula E title success felt so different to F2

The truth is, I’m still waiting to fully reflect on last season and becoming the 2021 Formula E drivers’ world champion. There wasn’t much time for a hangover the Monday morning after I won it in Berlin because I had to catch a plane to Le Mans and switch my focus. Then when I went on holiday – given all the rumours about my future, it couldn’t not get to me. The phone was ringing all the time.

So there hasn’t been time off, but that’s fine. I really love what I’m doing and I’m truly grateful. I also believe it makes me a better driver to race in different cars, in different championships and to work with different people. But I won’t deny that I’m also looking forward to winter and some time off.

Compared to my titles in karting, Formula Renault and in FIA F2, success in Formula E felt very different. Not because it was less about climbing the single-seater ladder, but more because it was a very eventful season, and everyone experienced a lot of highs and lows.

I’m realistic enough to understand that I could have easily been fifth or sixth. The classification is not directly reflective of everyone, but it was well deserved for us. We did lead most of the year.

I must acknowledge that we had some luck on our side. And that it all came down to the final round in Berlin plays its part in why this title felt different. Most drivers are used to building championships as the year wears on. The qualifying format in Formula E makes that hard to do.

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For example, after my two second places in the penultimate London event, we arrived in Berlin in the slowest first group in qualifying. And with Formula E it’s like, ‘Ah, man, you never know…’ You just hope it’s going to be good!

De Vries admits he's still soaking in the sensation of winning the FE title

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

The way the season had gone, you almost accept that you can’t be consistent, you can’t constantly score points. You accept the moment and move on. I definitely reached that point towards the end. It was easier for me to accept a bad weekend because I understood it was the nature of the championship and its format this season.

To secure the title double, with Mercedes winning the teams’ championship, is testament to how hard we worked at the end of our debut 2019-20 season. We were already strong, but we did have some glitches. It was obviously our first season in the series, and we made too many mistakes. We were not entirely ready to take on a title fight.

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We reacted by doing a lot of winter testing and analysing, and we focused on specific areas where we thought we needed to improve, and I think that approach has really paid off. It’s why I believe the start of the season was crucial in the outcome, because it really made our point clear that we did our work – we are here to win and not to participate.

It’s all about details in the end. I don’t think there exists a key to success. All the little things must be in place to deliver with the package that you have. We were not perfect, and we still have a lot of room for improvement. But I think we certainly kicked off very strong on that side at the first event in Saudi Arabia with pole position and the win.

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I want to thank everyone who has helped us win the two titles, particularly my team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne, because the working relationship has been really great. We get on very well together.

Because of the title success, a lot of people have asked me about my future. I am sure on how I see my future, but ultimately you just don’t know. Things in this world change so quickly.

When I moved to Formula E after winning F2, that was not something I was prepared for. Not that I wasn’t interested, but I couldn’t have foreseen that career path. Ultimately, I’m a racing driver and I want to compete where the competition is the best and where it means the most. Depending on where that is, that’s where I want to be.

The Mercedes team has an uncertain future in Formula E, but De Vries says he's happy where he is

Photo by: Andreas Beil