MERCEDES-EQ FORMULA E TEAM LEADS THE TEAMS' CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER VALENCIA E-PRIX

(MENAFN - Mid-East.Info) NEOM, Principal Partner of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, congratulates Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne on their respective win and podium finishes in the first round at the Valencia E-Prix The race win puts the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team in the top spot in the team championship with 105 points Mercedes-EQ Formula E team drivers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne lead the driver standings in first and second place respectively S7_Valencia, Saturday, 24th April 2021 - LAT Images NEOM, Saudi Arabia: The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, proudly supported by NEOM, celebrated an emphatic win and P3 finish in round five of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on Saturday in Valencia.� The team continues to go from strength to strength this season, building on two previous race wins in Diriyah and Rome.  Despite the five-place grid penalty imposed on Mercedes-EQ Formula E team driver Nyck de Vries at the previous race in Rome, which meant he started on Saturday from P7, the Dutch driver climbed up the grid to seal his second win of the season thanks to excellent energy management. Similarly, his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne had to start the race from the back of the grid after his qualifying times were cancelled and fought his way up to a P3 finish, achieving his sixth podium in Formula E.  Nyck de Vries, Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team Driver commented on his win on Saturday:  "What a race! To be honest, I'm even happier today than when I won my first race in Diriyah, especially with this victory coming as such a surprise. After the really tough race weekend in Rome and the five-place grid penalty for this race, I definitely wasn't expecting it. But it's a fantastic way for me to bounce back. Many thanks to the whole team, who executed the strategy perfectly today, and congratulations to Stoffel, who fought his way from the back of the field to the front. I have to admit that I was surprised to see him standing next to me at the podium ceremony. Today has turned to be a simply fabulous day for our team." Round six was more challenging for both drivers � Stoffel Vandoorne having to retire after hitting the barriers and Nyck de Vries finishing at P16.  After the thrilling Valencia EPrix weekend, the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team sits on the top of the team standings with 105 points. De Vries remains in the lead of driver standings with a total of 57 points followed by teammate Stoffel in second place and a total of 48 points. About NEOM : NEOM is an accelerator of human progress and a vision of what a New Future might look like. It is a region in northwest Saudi Arabia on the Red Sea being built from the ground up as a living laboratory � a place where entrepreneurship will chart the course for this New Future. It will be a destination and a home for people who dream big and want to be part of building a new model for exceptional liveability, creating thriving businesses, and reinventing environmental conservation. NEOM will be the home and workplace to more than a million residents from around the world. It will include towns and cities, ports and enterprise zones, research centres, sports and entertainment venues, and tourist destinations. As a hub for innovation, entrepreneurs, business leaders and companies will come to research, incubate and commercialize new technologies and enterprises in ground-breaking ways. Residents of NEOM will embody an international ethos and embrace a culture of exploration, risk-taking and diversity - all supported by a progressive law compatible with international norms and conducive to economic growth. About Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team : Motorsport has been a core element of Mercedes-Benz for more than 125 years. The first vehicle to bear the Mercedes-Benz name was a racing car. Last year, Mercedes-Benz added a new chapter in its long and successful motorsport history. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the ideal platform to demonstrate the performance of the Mercedes-EQ battery-powered electric vehicles, offering a completely new kind of experience, which combines racing with a unique event character. The team celebrated the first ever fully-electric race win for Mercedes-Benz and ended their debut season in Formula E in third place in the team championship. MENAFN26042021005446012082ID1101985848