Season eight of Formula E gets underway on Friday in Diriyah with de Vries looking t♛o defend ✤his title.

The Mercedes driv♛er secured the title in a dram𒆙atic finale in Berlin. 

With a completely new qu💦alifying format for this season, it is expected to favour the quicker teams given the top drivers in the standings won’t be forced to qualify in the first group and thus have the worst of the track conditions.

Speaking ahead of the new season, he said: “I'm really looking forward to the first race weekend of this season. Of course, it feels slightly more special coming into this weekend as the reigning Champions. On the other hand, this is a new year, new season and that means that it will be all to play for again - for 🐻everyone, not just us. Above all, I'm motivated to start racing again and I'm🍃 ready for this season's challenges. 

“We will not only face some very st❀rong competition, we will also have to ensure we're on top of the sporting changes from the start. All in all: I cannot wait to get going.”

Stoffel V𝔉andoorne remains alongside de Vries for 2022, meaning Mercedes has the same pairing that won the teams’ title last season.

The Belgia♛n was on the wrong end of bad luck in 2021 but he’s confident of a strong start to the year in Diriyah this weekend. 

“I'm excited about the prospect of feeling the adrenaline rus🙈h and the pressure that comes from working with the team and fighting for good results. I am optimistic about the weekend and about the year as a whole,” he added.

“The track at Diriyah has suited us in the past, and we have been competitive there. In the last two years, Nyck and I have made it onto the podium a few times. I think everything is looking positive, but there are a few new aspects for us to factor in - the new qualifying format, the new rules in the race; let's see how that turns out. I feel like we've done our homework and prepared as much as we can. Now let's geꦑt down to business and see how it goes.”