- The second round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Season 11 took place in Mexico on Saturday
- Jean-Éric Vergne and Maximilian Günther finished fifth and sixth respectively, both scoring important points for the DS PENSKE squad
- French premium constructor DS Automobiles and its drivers are now aiming for the podium at the next round in Saudi Arabia from 14-15 February
Having got underway at the start of December in Brazil, the 11th season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship hosted its second round at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City on Saturday. This marked the ninth visit to the Mexican circuit for the all-electric series.
The two DS Automobiles drivers were already in top form during their qualifying sessions, with Maximilian Günther first and Jean-Éric Vergne fourth to both go through to the duels and face each other in the quarter finals. JEV got through to the semi-finals, just missing out on a place in the final by 184 thousandths of a second and underlining once more the excellent performance of the DS E-TENSE FE25 cars developed in Versailles.
In front of packed grandstands, the French two-time champion lined up third on the grid, ahead of his German team mate Maximilian Günther in sixth. The first few laps were relatively calm, with not much to shake up the leaderboard, but everything changed when the first Attack Modes were activated and the race took on an entirely different complexion. With several cars passing each other, the two DS PENSKE drivers chose to save six minutes of Attack Mode for the final part of the race. Unfortunately, two Safety Car periods seriously compromised the chances of the French-American squad.
In fifth and sixth places, the two DS Automobiles drivers weren’t able to take advantage of the extra power offered by the Attack Mode while they were in a position to fight for a podium place. Jean-Éric Vergne and Maximilian Günther held onto their positions until the chequered flag, and while they may have regretted a lost opportunity, the DS PENSKE team was still able to score 18 very important points.
After these first two rounds in Latin America, the next races on the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 14-15 February. On the shores of the Red Sea, the DS Automobiles crews will be targeting at least a podium at the first double-header of the year.
Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance Director:
“Both in terms of our performance and the points we collected, it was a positive weekend. Nonetheless, it was a shame that the Safety Car came out just when our two drivers had activated their Attack Modes. Without that bit of bad luck, we could probably had done even better….but we need to focus on the positive. Our drivers were third and sixth at the end of qualifying, and ended up with fifth and sixth places in the race, scoring plenty of points for the team. We’re not far off the podium but we’ve still got lots of work to do in the coming month to prepare for the races in Jeddah.”
Jean-Éric Vergne, 2018 and 2019 Formula E champion:
“On the whole it was a good weekend, for both me and the team. But I‘m still feeling a bit frustrated as it’s the second time in two races that the Safety Car has come out just when I’ve activated my Attack Mode. Without that, I really think we had the potential to finish on the podium. The positive side is clearly finishing in the points for the second consecutive occasion, having a competitive car, and that we’ve all worked well. We need to keep pushing to do even better next time.”
Maximilian Günther :
“Sixth place for me and two cars in the top six is a solid team result after a very positive weekend. We suffered a bit with tyre degradation, but we delivered a good all-round performance and scored some important points. I‘m happy with our speed in qualifying but also with the way that the relationship has developed between myself and the team. This was only my second race with DS PENSKE, but I have the feeling that things are going well and everything is getting more natural. I’m feeling better and better in the car and the goal is now to continue on this trajectory to move further up the order. Now I can’t wait for Jeddah!”
