Nyck de Vries has delivered a defiant message that he does not "believe in miracles", with hard work having seen him claim a first Formula E podium in almost three years.
The Dutchman finished second in the opening race of the Monaco E-Prix and looked highly competitive throughout the event at the Circuit de Monaco.
It was the strongest de Vries had looked since returning to the all-electric series, following a short-lived and turbulent 10 races in Formula 1 with AlphaTauri.
His return to FE has been a difficult one with Mahindra, who struggled in 2023 and 2024 with an uncompetitive package.
When joining Mahindra last year, de Vries and the Indian outfit recognised a long journey was ahead of them; however, substantial progress is now being made with a strong Gen3 Evo package.
De Vries and Mahindra's tireless efforts are suddenly paying off, which saw the Season 7 world champion claim a first podium since the 2022 London E-Prix for Mercedes EQ.
"Yeah, great. Just you can kind of share the emotion a little bit more strongly together," de Vries told RacingNews365 after his Saturday podium.
"We knew what we were up to at the start our journey together back in the beginning of 2024, but it doesn't mean that it's easy. And we're all competitors. We all want to do well, but it's been very nice to kind of feel a little bit of progress gradually over time.
"And this year, with a new powertrain, obviously, we've made that next step. And I think it's really about putting yourself more often in a position where you can fight for such opportunities. And I've been repeating myself a little bit, but I don't believe in miracles.
"I don't believe in magic and Oliver [Rowland] is the best example. He's able to qualify on the front row, second row, and he is just able to fight for these opportunities more often, rather than, one step there, and then you need everything to come together to execute a result. So it's just been great to continue to build."
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