A STRONG POLE POSITION AND THIRD PLACE IN THE TEAMS’ RANKING FOR DS AUTOMOBILES AT THE PORTLAND E-PRIX

Jean-Éric Vergne claimed the 17^thpole position of his career on Sunday in Portland

Thanks to his fifth-place finish in the second race of the weekend, the Frenchman remains in the thick of the podium fight in the drivers’ championship

DS PENSKE remains third in the teams’ classification heading into the final two round of the season

After the opening encounter in Portland on Saturday, Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continued in America on Sunday. For DS PENSKE, the day got off to the best possible start with Jean-Eric Vergne sealing pole position after a brilliant qualifying session. This was the 17th pole of his career, marking the highest number of pole positions for an individual driver in the history of Formula E. With Stoffel Vandoorne in 10th place on the grid, the French premium manufacturer held high hopes of an excellent result.

In the race, JEV once again demonstrated the excellent performance of his DS E-TENSE FE23 by fighting consistently at the front. However, a Safety Car after the halfway point disrupted the team’s strategy. As a result, the French two-time champion had to eventually settle for fifth, enabling him to pick up some valuable championship points. Holding a provisional sixth place in the current driver rankings, the two-time champion remains in contention for the final podium at the end of the year.

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For Stoffel, Sunday’s race was more tricky. Fighting for a place in the top 10, the Belgian eventually crossed the finish line in 11th position.

It was a great result in the teams’ standings for DS PENSKE. With a total of 13 points scored, the Franco-American team has consolidated its third place in the provisional championship rankings and now has a 16-point lead over its closest rival.

In the constructors’ championship, all these good results from DS Automobiles have put Stellantis on the final step of the provisional podium.

The next round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in three weeks’ time will settle everything once and for all. The London E-Prix is all set to host the final two races of Season 10 – and expectations are high.

Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance Director:

“Today was another emotional day. First of all, we secured a magnificent pole position: our third of the season, as well as our ninth front row finish since the start of the year! This is a sure sign that the performance of our DS E-TENSE FE23 is still at a very high level. Afterwards, the race was extremely close, as is often the case when the field is tightly bunched. There was a lot of contact between the drivers and in the end JEV finished P5. Together with the three points for pole, this gives us an excellent score for the championship. Stoffel’s race was more unlucky. He fought like a lion, regularly coming close to the points, but without being able to achieve his goal. All in all, it was a very positive weekend for us though, as we leave Portland on the third step of the provisional podium in both the teams’ and manufacturers’ standings, with Stellantis. Our target now is to prepare as best as possible for the season finale in London.”

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

“We had another good day today. I’m really pleased with our performance in qualifying, as well as the pole position along with the three points that came with it. In the race, I think we did all the right things: we just had a bit of bad luck with the Safety Car. This undoubtedly cost us a podium, or even a chance of victory. Having said that, the weekend as a whole was very positive for the team, as the level of performance is getting higher and higher. Perhaps we deserved more, but we’re satisfied with the work we’ve done.”

Stoffel Vandoorne, 2022 Formula E champion:

“Qualifying went better than yesterday. However, I missed out on the duels by just a few hundredths of a second. That’s obviously a shame, because we knew it was important to qualify at the front of the pack. After that, the race was always going to be difficult, and it was hard to get back up the field. The safety car didn’t work in our favour either. But we’ve learned a lot today, so now we need to concentrate on the last two races of the season in London. It’s going to be a lot different from Portland and we hope to do well there.”

Key figures since DS Automobiles entered Formula E: