Since the beginning of season 9 of the Formula E world championship, the leaders have always been more or less the same. However, proving that nothing can be taken for granted, teams like Porsche, with one of the biggest budgets in the industry, have fluctuated between success and failure. It was also evident that manufacturers with a customer team benefited from data from four cars instead of two, and that corrective measures in the event of poor performance took less time to arrive.
From this point of view, the Porsche and Avalanche Andretti duos, as well as Jaguar and Envision Racing, have worked quite well. While Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) won the opening race of the season in Mexico, it was Pascal Wehrlein who steered Porsche to two victories in Saudi Arabia, with Dennis finishing second on both occasions. But the Jaguars of Sam Bird and Mitch Evans have never been far away.
DS Penske plays the killjoy
However, at the third race of the season, in Hyderabad, Vergne’s victory for his DS Penske ended the dominance of the German and British manufacturers. The Frenchman was the first to demonstrate the potential of the DS E-TENSE FE23 on a circuit where no one had ever driven before, ahead of Nick Cassidy’s Envision Racing and the Porsche of Antonio Felix Da Costa, his former DS teammate Automobiles.
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-TENSE FE23
Photo by: DPPI
In Cape Town, despite not winning, Vergne conquered the podium and the fastest lap of the race. His teammate Stoffel Vandoorne took his first pole position with DS Penske in Brazil, but was penalized by the high aerodynamic drag of his Gen3, which required a lot of energy from the leader.
However, on the three all-new circuits used by Formula E this season, it was the French-American team DS Penske who scored the most points, ahead of their Jaguar or Porsche powered rivals, for a total of eight cars. Both Berlin races resulted in a podium finish for Vergne, while the French driver and his team-mate have often started from the back of the grid following a small mistake or penalty.
However, proving that the DS Performance single-seater is up to the task, both drivers have often finished in the points, regardless of starting position. In Rome, Vergne’s fifth place in the first race (after starting 16th) and Vandoorne’s eighth place (after starting 18th on the grid) allowed DS Penske to stay in the top five at the end of the season.
The last round of the Formula E world championship will take place on 29 and 30 July in London on a special, partially covered circuit.
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-TENSE FE23
Photo by: DPPI
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