Stoffel Vandoorne on Tokyo E-Prix triumph: 'The plan perfectly played in our hands'
It cannot be just a coincidence that Maserati MSG Racing driver Stoffel Vandoorne started from the 14th position on the grid and went on to win the Tokyo E-Prix Round 8. He even managed to beat Nissan's Oliver Rowland, who had started from pole.
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Vandoorne shined while others struggled with poor visibility, a slippery track, and grip issues as it rained cats and dogs during the Tokyo race. Not only that, he also recovered from a spin on the wet track to cross the finish line first. The Tokyo winner says it's all because of how their plan fell in place to perfection.
Stoffel Vandoorne shares their strategy for Tokyo race
Stoffel Vandoorne revealed that their winning strategy involved a calculated risk of taking the Pit Boost early in the race, which could have worked in their favor if there had been a race stoppage, allowing them to save time during the gap.
"It was not an easy race, but a lot of opportunities with the rain and the management. We kind of gamble a little bit with our strategy but it was also calculated at the same time. The plan perfectly played in our hands, and the chances of this happening in Formula E are very, very slim,' Vandoorne told Formula E in an interview.
"It was difficult because I had to manage so many things. I was on the radio with my engineer in between laps and he was giving me advice on the gap that I had to Oliver (Rowland) to make sure I was safe enough with my energy.
I was struggling, and I was down to 10% at some point and I had to bring the car home so there was a lot of management to do," he added.
Vandoorne moved to Maserati MSG Racing last season and is in love with his new team. Talking about the same, he said, "I'm just happy for the team, for myself, it's been a little while. They are such a good group of people, some familiar faces from the past as well, their vibe is super cool, their base is Monaco and that is my home as well. They are making my life easy."
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Stoffel Vandoorne's much-awaited win came three years after his last victory in Monaco in 2022. He would now be looking to continue the winning streak at the Shanghai double-header at the end of this month.
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