Mahindra's De Vries Secures Surprise Podium After Sanya E-Prix Drama

Mahindra Racing's Nyck de Vries produced a remarkable recovery drive to secure a podium finish in a dramatic and incident filled Sanya E-Prix , eventually being promoted to third place after a post race penalty for Felipe Drugovich .

What initially looked like a frustrating afternoon turned into a rewarding one for the Dutch driver, who overcame early damage, a red flag interruption and intense midfield battles to finish among the top three.

The race got off to a difficult start for Mahindra. De Vries lost a position on the opening lap and suffered front wing damage following contact with Sébastien Buemi . Meanwhile, teammate Edoardo Mortara made early gains and climbed into the top 10.

The race began to swing in Mahindra's favour on Lap 12 when both drivers activated Attack Mode , allowing them to charge through the field. Mortara briefly surged into the race lead, while de Vries climbed into sixth place.

Mortara then found himself locked in a fierce battle at the front with Nick Cassidy , Dan Ticktum and Pascal Wehrlein . However, as rivals deployed their own Attack Mode boosts, the Swiss driver gradually slipped back to sixth.

The turning point came on Lap 20 when de Vries became caught in a multi car traffic jam at a hairpin corner, dropping from contention and triggering a red flag stoppage. During the break, teams carried out repairs, with Mortara receiving a replacement front wing after sustaining damage.

Following the restart, both Mahindra drivers initially struggled to regain momentum. Matters worsened for Mortara, whose race ended prematurely due to a technical issue involving the car's fire extinguisher system and kill switch.

With Mahindra's hopes resting solely on de Vries, the Dutchman launched an impressive late charge. Activating his final Attack Mode on Lap 34, he sliced through the field and set the fastest lap of the race , underlining his pace in the closing stages.

By Lap 37, de Vries had climbed to fourth and appeared well positioned for a podium finish, aided by a penalty hanging over António Félix da Costa . However, Pepe Martí overtook him on the penultimate lap, leaving de Vries to cross the finish line in fourth place.

The story was not over.

After the race, Drugovich was handed a penalty, reshuffling the final standings and promoting de Vries to third place, securing a well deserved podium for Mahindra Racing.

The result earned de Vries 15 points for third place and an additional point for the fastest lap , helping him maintain 10th position in the Drivers' Championship . Mahindra also strengthened its hold on third place in the Teams' Championship .

Although Mortara failed to score, he remained third in the drivers' standings after none of his closest championship rivals managed to collect points in Sanya.

The Formula E World Championship now moves to Shanghai , where Rounds 12 and 13 of the season will take place on July 4 and 5 , with Mahindra hoping to build on the momentum generated by de Vries' hard fought podium.