The situation could have been serious, but the worst was avoided thanks to perfectly implemented safety procedures. On Tuesday morning, test driver Robert Shwartzman stopped the #1 DS E-TENSE FE23. 2, usually driven by Stoffel Vandoorne, into Turn 11. The car appeared to have a safety problem. In fact, the single-seater seemed to have suffered a problem with the battery, a component common to all cars and supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE). The car was returned to the pits, the battery was removed and transferred to the British supplier’s workshop for inspection. During the lunch break, a small explosion caused a fire which led to the evacuation of the premises and the intervention of the firefighters.
No one was injured, but this accident involving an element that had been in operation for over a year (and refurbished for this new season) led to a series of investigations. It is worth highlighting that since its debut in 2014, Formula E has never had to deal with a fire, demonstrating the high level of safety of its electric single-seaters.
DS Penske prefers to highlight the positive side of this incident. “Everyone reacted very well, even if it was the first time such an event had occurred”, underlines Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance. “The problem was handled very well from start to finish and in the end everything was able to restart in good condition, after numerous checks. I like this very professional approach to the subject, which is very reassuring. It was also fortunate that the battery caught fire in the WAE garage and not in Stoffel Vandoorne’s DS E-TENSE FE23 No. 2, which could have gone up in smoke. It should be noted that the neighboring garage, that of Mahindra Racing, suffered some collateral damage.
Photo by: DPPI
Jean-Eric-Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
Successful test for Vergne and Vandoorne
DS Penske drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne were still able to evaluate the performance of their 2024 cars, despite being deprived of a fair amount of racing time despite their efforts to extend the final day of tests. After a new start of testing on Thursday afternoon, followed by a race simulation in the early hours of Friday, the track remained open continuously until the evening, without any problems on the battery front.
In the next few days, the electric single-seaters will be placed in containers to be shipped by ship from the port of Valencia to Mexico, where the first race will take place on January 13. The batteries, however, will be shipped later by air, after having undergone further checks. In the coming weeks, the teams will be able to continue testing their cars and prepare for the second season which sees these electric single-seaters in their third generation.
This will mark the start of the tenth season of the Formula E world championship and the ninth for the French manufacturer DS Automobiles.
Photo by: DPPI
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
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