ANOTHER PODIUM FOR DS AUTOMOBILES AND JEAN-ÉRIC VERGNE IN BERLIN! | DS Performance

May 16, 2024

22 3 minutes read

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Stoffel Vandoorne was delayed as a result of another competitor’s accident, but fought back perfectly to finish in a fine seventh place

DS PENSKE is now fourth in the teams’ classification and closing in strongly on third place

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship staged its ninth round of Season 10 on Saturday, at the historic Berlin Tempelhof airport venue in Germany. On a new 2.3-kilometre track layout, the two DS PENSKE driver showcased all their talents, claiming the 50th podium for DS Automobiles as well as a seventh place overall in the first race of the Berlin double-header.

By qualifying in the top three, Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Éric Vergne started the weekend in the same excellent form already seen in Monaco. Having got through to the duels by going third-quickest in their respective qualifying groups, the Belgian eventually took second on the grid just ahead of his French team mate in third.

In the race, JEV showed that his two Formula E titles were certainly no fluke. Thanks to his experience as well as an excellent strategy, he was constantly among the potential winners. While he had to let Nick Cassidy get away during the closing laps, the DS Automobiles driver still secured a brilliant second place at the flag and 18 more points. His 35th career podium means that he is now sixth overall in the drivers’ standings.

Stoffel Vandoorne also delivered a solid performance by crossing the finish line in seventh. The Belgian clearly had the potential for a lot more with his DS E-TENSE FE23 but was delayed by an incident at the midpoint of the race, which dropped him to the back of the pack. After a second Safety Car period, the 2022 champion fought back strongly to recover around 10 places.

Thanks to the 24 additional points scored on Saturday, DS PENSKE has climbed to fourth in the teams’ championship, just three points off the provisional podium: an excellent morale-booster for the entire squad.

The second race on the new Berlin-Tempelhof track gets underway on Sunday at 15:03, giving another opportunity for DS Automobiles and PENSKE AUTOSPORT to aim for the top once more.

Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance director:

“We had an excellent race day. We were quick in free practice, faster still in qualifying, and then rapid and solid throughout the race. We started from the front row of the grid once more, underlining the pace of our DS E-TENSE FE23 and the impressive know-how of our drivers. From there, the race went differently for our two champions. JEV stayed in among the lead group to end up with an excellent second overall. Stoffel however was involved in an accident that unfortunately shuffled him down towards the very tail of the field. But he showed plenty of determination to score points for the team and managed to get back to seventh place by the finish. Thanks to JEV, we celebrate the 50th podium for DS Automobiles. It’s a result that we’re really proud of, and we start tomorrow full of confidence thanks to our great performance today.”

Jean-Éric Vergne, 2018 and 2019 Formula E champion :

“I had a very good qualifying and an excellent race. Finishing second feels like a victory to me today. There’s nothing we would have done differently in the first race, and we gave it everything we could. Enjoying a race like this is a real pleasure both for me and the whole team.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, 2022 Formula E champion:

“It was a great first day for us with a very strong qualifying performance again, just as we saw in Monaco. We set a good pace in our group and during the duels. We were close to setting pole, which confirms our progress. It was a very lively race with battles all over the place, especially throughout the opening laps. When I got into the lead, it wasn’t easy to manage energy consumption; a real challenge. Then, I was blocked by a car that spun. Once I got going again, behind everyone else, we had to rethink the strategy in order to save as much energy as possible for the final sprint. So by the end, we could be satisfied with seventh place and the points we scored for both championships. I could have finished even higher up but there was not enough space to try and launch an attack on the final lap.”

Key figures since DS Automobiles entered Formula E: