With a couple of Formula E Drivers' and Team Championships, DS Automobiles started off with a promising performance in Mexico, the opening race of the 9th season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Despite a tough qualifying complicating race for the season's opening race in Mexico, DS Automobiles drivers were able to demonstrate the strong performance level of the new DS E-TENSE FE23 entered with PENSKE AUTOSPORT. In this first race of the season, 3rd generation racing vehicles debuted, more powerful and efficient than previous models, underlining the continuous technical development in electric transport. DS Automobiles scored first in Mexico City, zamit showed its effect in the championship, which seemed to be more competitive than the current one.
The capabilities of the new car developed by DS Performance were proven by Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, who were at the forefront of free training sessions. French pilot fastest and second fastest zamwhile the Belgian pilot took the fifth place. While everything looked good until the qualifying, this trend did not continue when it came to the actual session. Both DS Automobiles drivers got stuck in traffic, with Jean-Eric Vergne 11th and his teammate 14th at the start.
In the race, the DS E-TENSE FE23 vehicles showed that they will be an integral part of this year's action. The reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne never gave up. He eventually moved up four places to take 10th place in the final round. Conversely, Jean-Eric Vergne suffered substantial losses in the final stages. Up two rows, the French driver had a technical problem with the battery, one of the common components that regulations require on all vehicles. This issue resulted in him being out of the top 10 during the race. He was able to reach the finish in 12th place.
Following the season's opening race at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico, the next legs of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will be held in Saudi Arabia on 27 and 28 January for the second and third races at the Diriyah circuit.
Last Formula E World Champion Stoffel Vandoorne: “Obviously it wasn't a perfect weekend. I think everyone on the team was hoping to leave Mexico with more points. Still, one point counts and is better than nothing. We had a very good pace in free practice and got off to a good start, with both cars in the top five each time. We felt good things were going to happen, but during qualifying, things didn't go as planned, especially due to traffic. We failed to optimize in every way. I started in 14th place and I knew it wouldn't be easy. The race was eventful with several Safety Car periods and we learned a lot. However, it was very difficult to catch up and pass the opponents and I couldn't go higher than 10th place.”
2018 and 2019 Formula E champion Jean-Éric Vergne: “Obviously this was not the result we expected. I really struggled to finish the race with points and unfortunately I had a battery problem just before the checkered flag. It was very frustrating when I gave my all to get points that could make a difference at the end of the season. I still want to see the positive side. Our car is good and we learned a lot of interesting lessons from this weekend. It will be a very long season. However, with a highly competitive car and what we learned today, I am confident that we will do better in the next races.”
Key achievements since DS Automobiles entered Formula E:
90 races
4 championships
15 victories
44 podiums
22 pole positions
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