Nyck de Vries eased away from the chasing pack to clinch a pole to flag victory in a feisty opening race of the 2021 Formula E season in Diriyah.

The Dutchman, 26, steered his Mercedes masterfully round the brightly lit Riyadh Street Circuit as Saudi Arabia hosted the first night race in the all-electric series, as well as staging the competition's first event since gaining full status as an official FIA world championship.

I should be over the moon, it's my first Formula E win - Nyck de Vries

On a day of notable firsts, De Vries took his maiden victory in his stride. “I’m still quite chilled, I don’t know why," he said. "I should be over the moon, it's my first Formula E win.

"It wasn't easy with so many safety car periods and the pace being unpredictable at the beginning of the race. There was a lot of communication going on and I'm so pleased to get my first win.

"It sounds a cliche, but it couldn't be more true: Thanks to everyone at the team that has worked so hard for this."

Edoardo Mortara powered to second place after performing one of the best manoeuvres ever witnessed in the single-seater series. Chasing down the leading pack, the Venturi Racing specialist first slipped round the outside of Jaguar's Mitch Evans, before executing a chicane-like adjustment to overtake Pascal Wehrlein's straying Porsche.

It was a breathtaking, brilliant move but Mortara admitted it wasn't quite as comfortable as it looked.

When I'm in the car doing these moves my heart stops - Edoardo Mortara

"I'm a dad and 34 years old. When I'm in the car doing these moves my heart stops," he said. "Wehrlein moved at the last minute so I had to go on the left as I was quite surprised. It was the key moment of the race and I was really happy to survive the chaos and finish second."

Evans secured third but it wasn't such a good evening for his new Jaguar team-mate and Formula E veteran Sam Bird, 34, who was squeezed into a wall by fellow Brit Alex Lynn while battling for sixth place on lap 16. After their coming together both cars veered  to the opposite side of the track, locking nose to nose.

Lynn had to retire immediately, prompting the first of two safety car sessions, while Bird's running repairs after a pit stop weren't enough to keep him in the race.

The drivers have just 24 hours to recuperate before Race 2 gets underway, again under the lights of the Riyadh Street Circuit.