- The second race of the Misano E-Prix in Italy was as action-packed as the day before
- Jean-Éric Vergne scored points for the sixth time in seven races, while a battery problem forced Stoffel Vandoorne into retirement
- Next up is the legendary Monaco street circuit, which will host the eighth round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on 27 April
The Formula E Italian double-header at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli this weekend played host to a pair of extremely strategic races.
One thing is sure: the two DS E-TENSE FE23 cars showed plenty of performance over a track that used most of the famed MotoGP layout. Jean-Éric Vergne was second in qualifying on Saturday and did it again in Sunday morning’s qualifying session, meaning that once more he would start from the front row of the grid. Underlining a strong overall performance from DS Automobiles, his team mate Stoffel Vandoorne qualified sixth.
Right from the opening laps, the top positions changed almost constantly. JEV took the lead at one point but then lost several places just before a safety car came out. The Frenchman was unable to get back into the top five afterwards, in a hectic race from start to finish. With a seventh place on Sunday after having inherited sixth on Saturday, Jean-Éric Vergne leaves Misano with a total of 14 points. Six points finishes from seven races pays testament to his impressive consistency. With the season not even yet halfway through, the two-time Formula E champion is currently sixth in the provisional drivers’ classification and everything is still to play for.
Sunday was a race to forget for Stoffel Vandoorne. After his strong qualifying performance, the Belgian was one of the victims of some contact in the middle of the pack. He was forced to come into the pits to repair damaged bodywork, crushing his hopes of a good result. At the end of the race a battery issue – which affected all the other drivers as well – forced Stoffel to stop by the side of the track.
With three points finishes from the two Misano races, DS Automobiles continues to rack up its score. The premium French constructor and its partner PENSKE AUTOSPORT are currently fifth in the provisional teams’ classification.
The next round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place to a backdrop of history and glamour. The all-electric series now heads to the legendary Monaco street track, one of the best-known circuits in the world. Race eight (from a total of 16) takes place in a fortnight, on 27 April.
Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance director:
“We come away from the long weekend at Misano fully aware of our excellent performance, but also with some frustration at not having scored enough points. That’s a real shame as we were consistently quick in qualifying but encountered difficulties in the races, which was mainly down to external factors. Our excellent qualifying performances form a solid base on which we can build the races that are still to come.”
Jean-Eric Vergne, 2018 and 2019 Formula E champion:
“The day started well with another great team performance in qualifying. We’ve clearly made a step forward in this area, and I’d like to congratulate the whole team for that. As for the race, we need to understand exactly what happened. I don’t know if we made a strategic error in our use of Attack Mode, but I lost several places in the space of just two laps and found myself further down the order. With the energy management required by this circuit, I wasn’t able to make up the positions lost afterwards. I don’t know if that’s just down to pure bad luck, because I still reckon we made the right decisions at that point in the race. An incident on the final lap cost me more places, but in any case, we were still able to score some important points once more.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, 2022 Formula E champion:
“I truly believe that we weren’t properly rewarded compared to the level of our performance. My qualifying was better today. I was able to get into the duels and qualify sixth on the grid, which was a good place to start. Unfortunately, I lost many places during the opening laps, then I had some contact and had to change my front wing. Afterwards, there was an issue with the battery and so I wasn’t able to make the finish. Naturally there’s an element of frustration but our overall performance level is definitely a positive point. We’ll continue to learn and come back stronger.”
