The 7th season of the Formula E champion has come to a close, and the first-ever World Champion has been crowned. Nyck de Vries became the first-ever Dutch world champion in any motorsport series. His team, Mercedes-EQ, also won the constructor championship with the help of de Vries and teammate Stoffel Vandoorne. Let’s take a look back on how the German team secured their first double world championship.

De Vries had an excellent start to the season, securing pole and his first race win in round 1 in Diriyah. A qualifying disqualification dulled the second round of that weekend. He started the race in 20th but was able to do an incredible recovery drive that ended in 9th place. 

Round 3 in Rome didn’t quite go to plan as he had contact with his teammate and didn’t finish the race. He didn’t have any more luck in round 4 either when he had a second DNF after making contact with Sam Bird taking them both out of the race. 

Nyck de Vries at the London E-Prix (Photo via @MercedesEQFE on Twitter)

The Valencia E-Prix was one of the most controversial races in Formula E history, with almost every driver suffering massive energy problems. Nyck de Vries was able to capitalize on those issues and ended up winning round 5. Round 6 didn’t bring the same results, with de Vries only able to finish 16th. 

Formula E returned to Monaco for season 7, but de Vries DNFed, unable to get that coveted Monaco win. Round 8 in Puebla was a much better result for the Dutch driver. He finished 9th, securing 2 points in his fight for the championship.

New York brought challenges for the F2 champion. He was unable to score points in either round and DNFed in the first. His first double podium of his career came in London, where he finished 2nd in both rounds.

The last two rounds of the season in Berlin were crucial for de Vries as 18 of the drivers could still win the championship. He suffered a puncture in round 14, hurting his championship chances. Round 15 decided the season, and with his main championship rivals getting taken out, his championship dream got closer. After starting 13th, de Vries fought his way through the pack, securing 8th. He took the championship title by just 7 points, and his charging drive helped him secure the title of the first Dutch motorsport world champion.

De Vries didn’t have a consistent season, but he made up for it in his determination. When he performed well, he used the momentum into the next round, and when things didn’t go his way, he always came back from it. He was able to strategize well and adapt based on what other drivers were doing. His personality shined through his driving. The sheer level of emotion for every pole position, podium, and win exemplified his passion for the sport. De Vries is a worthy champion and has proved it all season long. While we don’t know where he will be racing next year, there is no doubt he is a world champion through and through.

Nyck de Vries on the podium at the 2021 Diriyah E-Prix (Photo via CBS Sports)

Mercedes-EQ achieved their first world championship in only their second season of Formula E. With de Vries becoming the drivers’ champion, their victory this year was two-fold. 

The team championship battle was just as close as the drivers’, and Mercedes-EQ only won by 4 points. This was primarily due to Vandoorne’s fantastic performances over the season. He secured 3 pole positions, one race win, and one second-place finish this season with 82 points to his name. 

Mercedes-EQ had a great season, overcoming setbacks like the qualifying disqualification and their double DNF in Rome. As a team, they have worked together to create the best strategy for every round, and the strong relationship between de Vries and Vandoorne created mutual respect on and off-track that helped the team in their efforts. There are rumors that the team will be leaving Formula E next year, but if they stay and keep the same drivers, they could definitely become two-time champions.