Mercedes teammates Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries swept Thursday's Formula E event in Berlin. (Mercedes photo)
Mercedes teammates Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries swept Thursday's Formula E event in Berlin. (Mercedes photo)

Vandoorne Leads Mercedes Sweep In Berlin

BERLIN — Stoffel Vandoorne led home a stunning 1-2 finish for Mercedes-Benz EQ in round 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship Thursday in Berlin.

Vandoorne’s teammate Nyck de Vries finishes second with Nissan’s Sebastien Buemi completing the podium.

The result meant Vandoorne sealed second in the drivers’ standings behind champion Antonio Felix da Costa.

Third for the Swiss was enough to ensure Nissan e.dams would follow home DS Techeetah in the Teams’ Championship, with Mercedes-Benz EQ winding up third.

“What an incredible race. It was perfect for us,” said Vandoorne. “Seb (Buemi) was always close but we felt we had him in control. We couldn’t have hoped for any better a way to end the season, and second in the standings is a real bonus.

“To execute our race pace from the lead is something new and I’m super happy we managed to pull it off. The whole team has done a fantastic job. I struggled in qualifying in the last couple of races, but everything was picture perfect today.”

Da Costa and DS Techeetah were crowned drivers’ and teams title winners during the post-race celebration, having secured the honors at the end of round nine on Sunday in Berlin.

Audi’s Rene Rast and Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird completed the top five.