Vergne reveals DS Penske request in third Formula E title pursuit
Jean-Eric Vergne has revealed that DS Penske’s powertrain was the area which needed the biggest improvement after the end of the first-half of the Formula E Gen3 era.
The two-time FE champion was strong in qualifying last season but often struggled against the Jaguars and Porsches in the races, due to the two teams dominant energy efficiency.
Vergne still secured fifth in the drivers’ championship and claimed three podiums, helping the Versailles-based outfit finish third in the teams’ standings.
“The first year of Gen3 may have been a bit difficult qualifying wise, but I think last season we really turned things around,” Vergne told RacingNews365 ahead of pre-season testing.
“We had a very good step in performance for qualifying, in the race, I will say that our understanding got better. But sometimes we just hit the limit with what we could do with our powertrain.
“We want as drivers, a more efficient powertrain. When we follow each other, we have so much experience now that we know exactly if one driver has more or less energy than us.”
As mentioned, Vergne’s request for a stronger powertrain was due to the strength of Jaguars and Porsches.
Since the Gen3 era was introduced at the start of Season 9, only six of the 32 completed races have not been won by a Jaguar or Porsche-powered driver.
The Jaguar and Porsche cars regularly had an energy advantage in the closing stages of most races, which Vergne had no answer for.
“Quite often last season, when I got told the [energy] number halfway in the race of some drivers that were around me, I was in a position where I didn’t understand that number and said, ‘How is that possible that they’ve got more energy than me?'” added Vergne.
“This is the moment where we hit the limit and that as drivers, we don’t really know what more to do.”
Vergne waiting for final verdict
For the brand-new Gen3 EVO, marking the second-half of the Gen3 era, DS Penske has worked extremely hard on a new powertrain.
Both Vergne and new team-mate Maximilian Günther looked very competitive during testing at the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid, with a big step forward having been made.
One-lap pace again looks like a strength for DS Penske, whilst it’s race pace appears to have also improved.
However, the likes of Nissan have also impressed, leaving Vergne wanting to get through the first rounds in São Paulo and Mexico City before deciding if the team has designed a strong package.
“For this, I wait and see the first couple of races,” Vergne said whilst speaking to RacingNews365 during testing in Madrid. “We know the improvement that we’ve made.
“We don’t know what improvements the other teams have made. Let’s say we improve four tenths per lap in a race, and the other teams improve by eight tenths, we’re going to be looking very bad.
“We may have thought that, ‘Oh, we’ve done a good job’. So it’s always the same story. The question now is trying to really maximise our package and prepare as best as possible.”
