DS TECHEETAH opens its account in Diriyah

The team has made no secret of its determination to reclaim the drivers’ and teams’ titles that it won two years running in seasons 5 and 6. However, the two night-time races held at the opening round in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, proved to be a demanding initial test. The undulating surface of the track – and its very uneven grip – merely added to the difficulties posed by the increasingly stiff competition provided by the rest of the field. In Friday’s opening session, Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix Da Costa could not do better than thirteenth and sixteenth respectively in the new knock-out qualifying format introduced this year to allow drivers to showcase their speed and skill. However, Jean-Eric Vergne showed impressive race pace in his DS E-TENSE FE21, making a superb fightback to claim eighth place overall. His team-mate Antonio Felix Da Costa had a less successful race, forced to retire after being hit by another competitor. The DS TECHEETAH team made clear progress in the new qualifying format for the second race, with both drivers making it into the quarter-finals (Jean-Eric Vergne 6^th and Antonio Felix Da Costa 7^th). Results improved in the race too, with Vergne finishing sixth although Da Costa could only finish thirteenth.

“We come away from Saudi Arabia with a few points and plenty of lessons learned,” analysed Thomas Chevaucher, Director of DS Performance and DS TECHEETAH Team Principal. “The new qualifying format changes quite significantly the philosophy of the championship and we’re going to have to get used to this new formula. The race proved once again that our DS E-TENSE FE21 is quick but it is also showed just how close the cars and the drivers are to each other in terms of performance. The next round in Mexico is just a couple of weeks away and that should give us a chance to bounce back quickly.” This sentiment was echoed by Jean-Eric Vergne, the 2018 and 2019 Formula E champion: “We had obviously hoped to come away from the opening weekend of the season better results than eighth and sixth. But the points scored are important in terms of the championship. We have made a solid start, something to build on. We just need to improve a little bit to be fighting for the win in Mexico. I'm very pleased with the team and the work we have done. I'm now going to head back to Europe to prepare for the next race!” Round three of the Formula E world championship will be held in Mexico, on 12 February.