Stoffel Vandoorne: “Of course I’m a bit disappointed with second place”

Stoffel Vandoorne was unable to convert pole position into a win in the first race Diriyah E-Prix on Friday, with the Dutchman taking responsibility for the mistake that gave the team-mate the win Nyck de Vries.

After taking pole position in the very first knockout qualifying session Saudi Arabia earlier in the day that Mercedes EQ Formula E Team The driver looked on course for victory in the floodlights, only to lose his position when an attempt to activate his Attack Mode failed.

The error handed the lead and eventual victory to de Vries, much to the former’s chagrin McLaren F1 Team driver, but despite the disappointment he was pleased that Mercedes was able to dominate the race from start to finish and the two drivers ended up well ahead of third place Jake Dennis.

“After qualifying on pole, I’m obviously a bit disappointed with second place, but I don’t mind if you have the luxury of being unhappy with second place,” said Vandoorne. “I led the race from the start, had everything under control and the car had great pace today.

“Then, unfortunately, I missed one of the loops when activating my second attack mode, which put Nyck in the lead. After that we pushed each other and were able to pull away from the rest of the field. A double win is a great result for the team.

“After such a fantastic team result at the beginning of the season, you shouldn’t be disappointed. And tomorrow there is another chance. Never let up in this series. It’s so tight – as soon as you slack off just a little, someone else will jump in to take advantage.

“Today’s result does not automatically mean that it will be the same tomorrow. That’s why we have to do our best on Saturday as well. For my part, I will try to go one step further in the second race.”