In general, DS Penske cars love new tracks. With the exception of Tokyo last March, the circuits still untouched by electric single-seaters have often smiled on the Franco-American team. This weekend could have produced even more points, but it is important to highlight the good pace set by the two DS E-TENSE FE23s throughout the weekend.
The dominance of Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne in practice, followed by JEV's outstanding performance up until the final qualifying session, against Mich Evans' Jaguar, will be remembered from day one. The Frenchman was also a protagonist in the race, crossing the finish line in third position, at the wheel of a single-seater damaged by numerous collisions. One of these resulted in a five-second penalty, dropping him to sixth place. But Vandoorne's eighth place, after starting 18th, was also reassuring in terms of the car's performance.
And so, on Sunday morning, the story of the previous day repeated itself. This time, however, there were two DS Penske cars in the quarterfinals instead of one. Vergne once again took second place on the starting grid, while Vandoorne finished sixth. For this second race of the weekend, the configuration was slightly changed, with 26 laps to go compared to 28 the previous day.
This means that the energy strategy has changed, but the tactics remain the same: the advantage does not necessarily go to the leader, who consumes more energy than the others, but to those who manage to stay in front and attack at the right time.
Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23, Carlos Tavares, CEO Stellantis group
Photo by: DPPI
Vergne in the top 10
Like the previous day, overtaking was numerous and the positions, both at the front and at the back, changed drastically. The escape of Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) also mixed up the group, while the Safety Car neutralized the race for a few laps. As the final laps approached, Vergne found himself in a “waiting” position, in the second half of the top 10. Vandoorne, the victim of a contact, was forced to fall back.
Despite the intervention of the safety car, the race direction did not add any more laps. After a final lap where Oliver Rowland's leading Nissan ran out of energy, Pascal Wehrlein's Porsche crossed the finish line in first place. Vergne finished seventh, once again scoring important points for his team.
“Both our cars performed at a high level this weekend,” comments Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance, which develops DS Penske cars. “JEV was always fast and was among the first from free practice to qualifying, with consistency on both days.”
“Stoffel was also fast, more unlucky in qualifying on Saturday but better placed on the grid on Sunday, which is a source of further satisfaction. We are all obviously frustrated by JEV's penalty on Saturday and his seventh place on Sunday, because we knew the podium was within our reach.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
Photo by: DPPI
“But we are happy with the points we have collected and what we have shown here in Misano in terms of competitiveness is reassuring for what is to come, especially in Monaco, which is a bit like the home race for us, where we have a small surprise for our fans.”
The next round of the Formula E World Championship will be held on Saturday 27 April, in the Principality of Monaco.
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