Jean-Eric Vergne: “An overview of the capabilities of DS Techeetah”

At the forefront shortly before the halfway point in Saudi Arabia yesterday in Riyadh, we thought well Jean-Eric Vergne, André Lotterer and DS Techeetah on another planet facing competition led by Antonio Félix da Costa (BMW i Andretti).

The apparent ease with which Vergne and Lotterer got rid of their rivals to climb back into the top 3 suggested a favorable outcome for the French brand, but a double penalty for a technical infraction relating to regeneration would cut the momentum of the two teammates.

Despite an incisive comeback at the end of the race, Vergne will not be able to regain his advantage against Antonio Félix da Costa, the Portuguese driver offering the Munich brand a first victory for his official debut in the discipline.

Vergne's second place, however, allows the DS Techeetah clan to see a rather encouraging future. « This day is just a glimpse of the capabilities of DS Techeetah, admits the reigning champion.

We put on a show and our next goal is to get more podiums and our first victory of the season. I know that the upcoming races will be just as spectacular. We gave the best of ourselves. We will have to learn certain lessons and continue in this state of mind to do even better next time. »

“After many months of development and preparation with our team, our new association showed impressive performances this weekend, indicates Xavier Mestelan-Pinon, director of DS Performance. This will allow us to continue to progress calmly for the rest of the championship and achieve our objectives. »

Discover the full report of the Riyadh ePrix, produced by our special correspondent in Saudi Arabia, in issue 2196 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.