De Vries insists 'right track' found as new Formula E season starts

Nyck de Vries has insisted Mahindra is "on the right track" to make significant progress in the new Formula E season but that it is "impossible to gauge" its extent

The all-electric championship's 11th campaign gets underway on Saturday in São Paulo, with Mahindra entering the event as a team being closely watched. 

Mahindra looked promising last month in pre-season testing, which took place last minute at the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid. 

However, what has made several teams look eagerly at the Indian manufacturer is its performance in a private test after the official pre-season running. 

It is an important campaign for Mahindra and FE's first world champion, with the team building an entirely new car for the brand-new Gen3 EVO era of FE – including developing a new powertrain. 

As pointed out by the Dutch driver though, "testing is testing" and only the racing will determine the outfit's true progression.

"I think we're all encouraged by the progress we've seen, and we're excited to start a new season with a car and a package that we've collectively developed as a group," de Vries told RacingNews365.  

"Apart from that, there is no need to get ahead of ourselves and start speculating or creating certain expectations because testing is testing. 

"We're on the right track, but equally, the competition is very high. This weekend we will see where we are relative to our competition a bit more in racing scenarios because the conditions will be very different than we've experienced during testing.

"I'm looking forward to the start of a new season, and I'm excited that we will make progress, and I feel that we're on the right track. But to what extent, it's impossible to gauge at this point."

De Vries details required 'approach'

Given the ultra-competitiveness of FE – expected to be even more so this season – pinpointing a favourite is near-impossible. 

The initial indicators show Mahindra has made progress, a hugely positive step for the Banbury-based team after two difficult seasons. 

De Vries and team-mate Edoardo Mortara struggled for points in the opening rounds of last season before ending the campaign with a flurry of point-scoring finishes. 

It is de Vries' second season with Mahindra, a team he has joined to return to a competitive spot in the FE pecking order.

If a positive start can be achieved in Brazil, then the 29-year-old believes further steps in the right direction can be taken.

"It's been a great journey so far," added de Vries. "We all really embarked with the same approach and aligned vision towards the mid-term or short-term future. 

"We are still a part of that process. Last year was challenging in many ways, but we've built a good foundation, and now we're hoping to do the next steps as a team. We just need to continue to build on what we've done. 

"We just need to start where we ended last year and try to do better and continue that kind of growth and progress forward. That's the approach we should continue to have."