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| Crédito: DS AUTOMOBILES |
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The very first Tokyo E-Prix, round five of the ABB FIA Formula E World
Championship, was not a favourable one for DS Automobiles and PENSKE AUTOSPORT
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After a tricky qualifying session, Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel
Vandoorne fought hard in the midfield to finish just out of the points on a
very bumpy track.
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Despite an end result that fell short of expectations, DS Automobiles stays in the top five of the teams’
championship ahead of the Italian double-header in Misano, Italy, in two weeks’
time.
The
2.5-kilometre Tokyo E-Prix circuit, running around the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition
centre on the seafront, was far from an easy ride for the all-electric
single-seaters and their drivers this weekend. In the first free practice
session, Stoffel Vandoorne encountered battery problems, which were directly
linked to the bumps on the circuit. The battery was changed again before the
race, where the 2022 champion got underway from 18th on the grid, four places
behind his team mate Jean-Eric Vergne. The scene was set for the duo of DS
E-TENSE FE23 cars to make their way back up through the field.
Jean-Eric
Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne made progress throughout the first Tokyo E-Prix,
using a strategy that enabled them to move towards the points-scoring zone over
the 35 laps of the race. These tactics nearly paid off, with two-time champion
Jean-Eric Vergne ending up in 11th place at the finish. Having tailed his team
mate for most of the race, the closing stages were more delicate for Stoffel
Vandoorne, who eventually crossed the chequered flag in 16th.
Although
DS PENSKE did not add to its points tally in the Japanese capital, the
objective is now firmly fixed on the Misano circuit in Italy, where races six
and seven of the ABB Formula E World Championship Season 10 take place in a
fortnight. On this more conventional track, the DS Automobiles and PENSKE
AUTOSPORT drivers will be aiming for results higher up the overall order.
Eugenio
Franzetti, DS Performance Director:
“While we still remain in the top five of the Formula E teams’
classification, we are not happy with our results from this first race in
Japan. It was a complicated weekend, especially with battery-related problems
that affected us from the first free practice session. This meant that we did
not have enough time to test our cars properly on the completely new track, which
is very different from the others with several bumps that affected us more than
our rivals. I’m sure that we will learn a lot from this experience. Now it’s
time to concentrate on the next races at Misano. The Italian circuit is a more
conventional track, which is better suited to our cars.”
Jean-Eric Vergne, 2018 and 2019 Formula E champion:
“It was a difficult weekend with no points for us, which is obviously
disappointing. But it’s still a long season with several races ahead, so
everything is possible. We continue to work hard but the weekend in Japan was
difficult. Now we have to analyse everything quickly and see how we can improve
for the future.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, 2022 Formula E champion:
“It was a complicated weekend right from the beginning, when we missed
FP1 with a battery problem. It’s even more of a shame as we were on a new
circuit. Those laps would have been very important for us to try and find the
right pace. So we found ourselves a long way down the order throughout the
entire weekend. But I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We simply weren’t
good enough, with a lack of speed in qualifying. In the race, we didn’t make
significant progress, and we just didn’t have the pace we hoped for. We were
fighting the set-up, the tyres, the energy management: all of which made it
very hard to make progress. Now we need to learn from all this.”
Key figures since DS Automobiles entered Formula E:
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110 races
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4 championship titles
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16 victories
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48 podiums
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23 pole positions
ABOUT
DS AUTOMOBILES
Driven by the spirit of the avant-garde and backed by an exceptional
heritage, the DS brand, born in 2014, aims to embody the French art of travel.
Remarkable products, discernible French luxury savoir-faire, coupled with a
suite of bespoke services, DS Automobiles offers a unique experience before,
during and after every journey.
Designed for customers looking to stand out who want to travel the world
and enjoy every moment, DS models combine refinement and technology. With DS 3,
DS 4, DS 7 and DS 9, the DS brand offers a global range.
Based on numerous records since its entry into Formula E in 2015,
including double Teams’ and Drivers’ titles, DS Automobiles is at the forefront
of electrification by already selling each of its models with an electrified version.
Under the E-TENSE label, DS Automobiles offers 100% electric powertrains as
well as plug-in hybrids with up to 360 horsepower and 4-wheel drive. From 2024,
every new model launched by DS Automobiles will be 100% electric.
For its discerning customers, DS Automobiles has crafted a suite of
exclusive services, called “ONLY YOU, a wealth of attention.”
With a presence in 41 countries, the DS brand has created and is
developing an exclusive distribution network that includes 450 DS STORES
throughout the world.
Follow news from DS internationally on
www.DSautomobiles.com @ds_automobiles
ABOUT PENSKE AUTOSPORT
After many successful years competing in IndyCar
(2007-2014), the team embraced the shift to electric mobility and
became one of the founding teams of the ABB FIA Formula E World
Championship.
The team motto is the Latin phrase “E Pluribus
Unum” – meaning “out of many, there is one.
