POLE POSITION AND MORE POINTS FOR DS AUTOMOBILES AND JEAN-ÉRIC VERGNE IN SHANGHAI! | DS Automobiles

Shanghai’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship debut provided a thrilling race. The very wide circuit located close to the Chinese metropolis allowed for a number of passing manœuvres and obliged drivers to manage their energy carefully to fight for the top positions. As a result, the order was constantly changing, with plenty of multi-car battles at the forefront.

The weekend started off perfectly for DS Automobiles with pole position for Jean-Eric Vergne, who won all his duels and scored the additional three points for pole position. This achievement meant that the Frenchman became the joint record-holder for pole positions in Formula E, demonstrating once more the DS E-TENSE FE23’s excellent level of performance. This was also the 23rd time that the French premium manufacturer has topped qualifying with one of its drivers.

Marking Formula E’s return to China for the first time since 2019, the race would turn out to be a frustrating one for DS Automobiles and its partner PENSKE AUTOSPORT. In a jostling pack, Jean-Éric Vergne found himself pushed and shoved on a number of occasions, which meant he had to settle for sixth place at the chequered flag. His team mate Stoffel Vandoorne qualified eighth and finished 9th at the end of the 29 laps.

In the driver’s championship JEV is still sixth, Stoffel is ninth, and DS PENSKE maintains fourth place.

China is a double-header, so the Shanghai international circuit hosts round 12 of the season on Sunday, with the start scheduled for 09:00 CET. The entire DS PENSKE team and its drivers will be focussed on hitting the front once more.

Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance director:

“After several qualifying sessions in which we finished second, we set pole position with JEV and we’re very pleased with that. It’s our second pole of the year, and we’ve shown once again that our cars and our champions are extremely quick. Following this excellent qualifying, the race didn’t bring us the result we hoped for but we still scored some good points. All races on this type of fast circuit, which demand a lot in terms of energy, are very hard to predict. It’s a non-stop fight, with plenty of overtaking and a high risk of contact: the sort of wheel-to-wheel combat that only stops at the final corner of the final lap. Today we face another day of tough competition, encouraged by our excellent speed and ready to take all the opportunities that the race will put our way.”

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

“It was a tough race but with some strong points scored for the team at the finish. We had a good qualifying which is encouraging for next session. Today will be another day, and so we go again!”

Stoffel Vandoorne, 2022 Formula E champion :

“Qualifying was pretty good again. I set the best time in my group and qualified for the duels. Unfortunately, my quarter-final laps weren’t the best, and I didn’t go any further. Having said that, eighth on the grid on a circuit like this gave me plenty of chances for the race, which was very strategic and action-packed as expected. It was quite tricky from time to time, with lots of cars going side by side to defend their positions while trying to avoid any contact. I have the feeling we could have done better, but at the same time this type of race is always a bit tricky for us.”

Key figures since DS Automobiles entered Formula E:

• 116 races
• 4 championship titles
• 16 victories
• 50 podiums
• 23 pole positions

PRESS CONTACTS

DS Performance : Nathalie Dumas  +33 (0) 6 60 26 10 37 –nathalie.dumas@external.stellantis.com

DS Automobiles : Benjamin Maigre  + 33 (0) 6 75 58 80 41 – benjamin.maigre@dsautomobiles.com