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Rome E Prix: impressive Fightback for Jean Eric Vergne into the Top 5
Jean Eric Vergne started from 16th on the grid and then finished fifth, at a race that was characterised by a big accident
Vergne, a DS Automobiles brand ambassador, and the DS #Penske team maintain fifth position in the drivers’ and teams’ championship respectively
The second race in Rome will take place tomorrow at 15 hours
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was again marked by several dramatic twists on Saturday during the first of two races at the Rome E Prix. The 27 lap race was halted by a red flag on lap nine, following a spectacular crash at the front of the field. Stoffel Vandoorne, who started from 16th on the grid, and Jean Eric Vergne—who got away from 16th—had to use all their skills to thread their DS E Tense FE 23 machines through the maze of debris and stranded cars on track.
After a long neutralisation, the race was able to restart with Jean Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne just outside the top 10. The two time champion from France made consistent progress through the field to finish in the top five, thanks to some excellent moves and perfect energy management. As a result, he consolidated his fifth place in the championship.
Stoffel Vandoorne also managed to break into the top 10, before dropping two places at the end of the race and just missing out on points.
The second race of the Rome E Prix will take place on Sunday July 16 at 15 hours CET.
Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance Director: “It was a difficult race characterised by a big accident that involved several cars, but luckily everyone escaped uninjured. Thanks to some fantastic work from our mechanics, our two DS E #Tense FE23 cars were rapidly repaired and we could take the restart. In the end, we were able to score some precious points thanks to an excellent performance from JEV. There are a few things we can improve for the race tomorrow, but I have every confidence in the team and I know that our cars are able to get some good results here.”
Jean Éric Vergne, 2018 and 2019 Formula E champion: “First and foremost, we can be thankful that all the drivers are unharmed after such an accident. I passed very close to Sam Bird, but luckily it all ended well. For the rest of the race, I was always capable of moving up the order. We finished P5, which was satisfying even though we can improve a few aspects of the car’s behaviour. Luckily, we have another race tomorrow that will allow us to implement those adjustments. Had we not been forced to come into the pits to change a damaged front wing, we would have restarted from sixth and the podium would have been within reach.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, reigning Formula E champion: “It was a tricky day. Qualifying didn’t go very well; we were lacking a bit of speed and I wasn’t totally comfortable with the car. We could definitely have started from further up the grid. The first few laps of the race were good as I managed to make up some places. Then there was the accident, so in order to avoid the cars stranded on the track, I had to touch the wall, which is what caused some damage to our car. The mechanics did a great job to fix it during the red flag period but after the restart I had other difficulties to manage, so I struggled to get the car to the finish. We ended up 11th and out of the points. Now I just have to turn the page and hope that tomorrow is a better day.”
Key figures since DS Automobiles entered Formula E
102 races
4 championship titles
16 victories
47 podiums
22 pole positions
