FE | DS Penske looks forward with positivity after Tokyo

Although the weather conditions were very difficult on the eve of the race, the first Tokyo E-Prix was a success from an organizational point of view.

The consequences of the heavy rain that fell until lunchtime on Friday simply encouraged the drivers to be cautious during the first practice sessions, on a track still soaked in water.

At DS Penske, it wasn't the rain that caused Vandoorne problems, but rather the battery in his electric car. This is a component common to all cars and its failure made it necessary to replace it.

Luckily, the sun returned the following morning and although the track was still a little damp in places, the grip level was much more even. The set-up of the single-seaters was able to be fine-tuned and the two DS Penske cars, with a very high attention threshold for what had happened to the car, found themselves halfway in the timesheets.

Vergne concluded the second session in ninth place, while Vandoorne in 11th. In qualifying, the two DS E-TENSE FE23s were both in Group B, but the session setup prevented them from reaching the quarter-finals. Still hampered by battery problems, Vandoorne again had to replace it.

A race that could have paid off

Starting from 13th and 18th on the grid, the DS Penske drivers knew they would have to call on all their experience to try and gain positions.

But on this bumpy circuit, where a failure can even cause the cars to take off completely, it's not easy to find grip.

Fortunately, energy management is an effective lever for those who know how to use it wisely. In this context, the driver-race engineer duo is very important, and we can see at the end of the first third of the race that “JEV” waited for the drivers behind him to switch to Attack Mode before activating his own.

A strategy that paid off, as he came close to scoring points, while Stoffel Vandoorne hovered between 12th and 17th place. Its hopes of making the top 10 were still high, especially since there was still an Attack mode to exploit.

But an accident between Nyck de Vries and Lucas di Grassi caused the safety car to come out. All gaps were therefore reduced to zero. The neutralization of the race led to the race being extended by two laps, which quickly froze the positions so that the cars could finish the race with the energy still available.

Vergne finally crossed the finish line in 11th place, with Vandoorne 16th. It was a frustrating finish and confirmation that Formula E can be cruel at times.

The two races in Misano (Italy) in fifteen days will be the opportunity for Team DS Penske to demonstrate its true level.