Stoffel Vandoorne on his recent victory and future in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship

Stoffel Vandoorne is gearing up for the rest of the season and discussing his racing future after the Mercedes driver stormed to the top of the driver standings with a victory at the Monaco E-Prix, where he finished ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne in second and Mitch Evans in third.

The Monaco race weekend was a successful one for the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, with Vandoorne claiming his first win of the season, and Nyck de Vries securing further points and finishing in 10th place, giving the team a clear lead in the team championship with 120 points.

1

Victory in Monaco must have been special. Can you let us know more about your experience winning in Monaco compared with the usual races?

Monaco races are special in any series and in any category. I’ve raced here in the past for a couple of different series, such as the World Series by Renault GP2, and Formula 1 as well. I won in the GP2 in 2015, which was quite a special feeling as well.

Last weekend was my first win in Formula E, which was also my first one of this season, which makes it a very special one. I think this is definitely a race that everyone wants to have in their racing career, with all the hype around it as well as the circuit’s history. I was obviously extremely very happy and so was everyone in the team. 2

What are your feelings on the upcoming race in Berlin? How do you like the Berlin track and what are your experiences so far there?

Berlin is a home race for us, and I’m looking forward to being back on track.

Berlin historically has been quite good to us. It’s where I had my first victory in Formula E. It’s also a very particular o ne. Maybe it’s because of the way the track is over there with the concrete — it’s on an old airfield. The concrete is very abrasive and aggressive, which means we need to maneuver carefully and get the car in at the right window to be able to perform there. Though we’ve had some good races, we have also had some races where we have struggled a little. It’s a challenging race, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a track that suits me as well, and hopefully we manage to get it right again. 3

When you look at all the circuits that we have to race in, there are certain circuits where our performance has been stronger and yet other circuits where we have struggled. The championship is a bit different now with the different qualification format. It provides a little more opportunity to equalize the field and to play at the front.

I don’t really know if there are any tracks in particular that suit us. It’s just the nature of the championship and the competition being so intense, that if you miss out by a tiny bit, it’s very easy to find

Are there any tracks more suited to Mercedes in the rest of the season?

yourself on the back foot. I believe it’s all about maximizing every weekend and gain an edge to fight at the forefront on any circuit.

4

How important is it in the first half of a race to hold back and conserve energy?

In the past few days, we’ve seen the drivers who hold back end up winning.

It’s always a difficult balance to make obviously, because in an ideal situation you don’t want to fight too much. But when you’re in the top position, you also don’t want to lose out on that position, requiring you to strike a very delicate balance.

For example, in Rome when I was leading the race and competing with Robin, we ended up wasting energy and then Mitch came through with the energy. I think it’s just the nature of the championship right now, where it’s so competitive, and it’s more about being efficient initially.

5

Since Mercedes is going to retire from Formula E, do you believe you will be part of the team’s future plans once the season is over?

There’s still nothing confirmed on the team’s side, but I think a lot of people know regarding what’s coming. From my side, I would say that there is a lot to analyze in terms of what the best and most competitive package will be, and there are quite a few opportunities out there.

In the end, I have to decide what is going to be the best for my future and what is going to get me the most competitive package in order for me to be able to continue racing and winning the races, which is the most important thing for me.

6

Coming back to Monaco, in recent times there was some discussion that Monaco should not be in the calendar anymore. What is your take on this, and could you please compare a little bit between Formula E and Formula 1?

I don’t know if I should be involved in a discussion on whether Monaco should stay on in the calendar or not because, ultimately, it’s not in my power. Though the hype and the iconic nature of the event make it a great race and a great experience. Compared to Formula 1, I believe Formula E is better as in Formula 1, overtaking abilities are so limited and there’s not as much action. This year, Formula E has been quite a good race, with a lot of overtaking at the front and a lot of changes for the lead. We had a great race here last year as well.