SOLID PERFORMANCE FOR DS PENSKE AHEAD OF SEASON 9
Valencia, Spain and Los Angeles, USA
DS PENSKE finished 2022 on a high note at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit for the official pre-season tests, ahead of the Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. This traditional pre-season testing was also the official introduction of the new GEN3, the world’s most sustainable and efficient racing car.
This week was the opportunity to face the competition for the first time, since the 11 teams gathered in Valencia between December 13th and 16th. Reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne and the 2-time champion Jean-Éric Vergne were eager to hit the track in order to fine-tune their understanding of the new DS E-TENSE FE23.
The Season 9 powertrain developed by DS Performance ran flawlessly over 4-days of testing and allowed both drivers to obtain strong results on-track.
The DS PENSKE team completed the test program and drivers delivered solid pace. Throughout the 7 test sessions, both drivers regularly finished amongst the quickest lap times, as Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne respectively classify 2nd and 3rd overall.
Stoffel Vandoorne, reigning Formula E world champion
“I’m happy with our tests. I leave Valencia with a lot of positives. We saw constant progress throughout the days, and were able to follow our testing plan. The team did a great job during the off-season and made me feel like I had been with them for a long time. Let’s continue to push to be fully ready for the start of the season in Mexico.”
Jean-Éric Vergne, Formula E Champion in 2018 and 2019
“We have had 4 good days of testing. We managed to run our testing programme with strong pace and without major issues. We tested a lot of things and focused on understanding the new car. Raw pace was not our priority but we learned plenty over this testing week. This new partnership between DS and PENSKE AUTOSPORT brings a positive dynamic and I feel a lot of positive energy within the team. I’m looking forward to racing in Mexico in a few weeks.”
Jay Penske, DS Penske Formula E Team Principal
“These 4 days of testing have shown great potential for the team. Both drivers were able to deliver strong performances throughout the week. Furthermore, we’ve seen a very good dynamic between Jean-Eric and Stoffel since they’ve started working together. The whole team is now turned to Mexico, and I can’t wait to start racing in 2023!”
DS PENSKE Fomula E Team will now head back to the Versailles factory to analyze all the data collected over the week in Valencia as the all-electric ABB Formula E World Championship is getting ready for the first round of Season 9, taking place in Mexico City, Mexico on the 14th of January, 2023.
KEY DATA
Stoffel Vandoorne’s fastest lap :1:25.236 – P2 overall
Jean-Eric Vergne’s fastest lap : 1:25.248 – P3 overall
