DS TECHEETAH have retained 2 time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne and current Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa, meaning the driver lineup has a total of 3 Formula E drivers championships between the two of them. The team has also interestingly decided to start the season using last year’s powertrain, introducing the 2021 powertrain as the season progresses.
Antonio Felix da Costa remarked that the time spent in Valencia was a “really cool and three good days of testing. We’ve gone through a lot of test programs that we wanted to trial, and we got to some good conclusions on some of them which was really important as they will help us a lot during the season. Even though we’re carrying the Season Six powertrain, we seemed competitive.”
Jean-Eric Vergne also stated that “We had a good test here in Valencia and I’m really happy with the work that we’ve done. We had quite a rigorous plan in place and we managed to find some really interesting things that will help us excel in the coming season. I feel more confident going into this season than I did last year, and I literally can’t wait to go racing now, Santiago couldn’t come any sooner.”
DS’s Performance Director Xavier Mestelan Pinon is also encouraged by the results of the weekend’s testing. “We saw different weather conditions during the last four days, which was really good as it gave us the opportunity to test both cold, wet and warm and dry tracks.
“We had some reassuring results from all surfaces, the opposite would have been worrying! We’re not making any hasty conclusions from the test, but we are leaving Valencia with confidence for the first race in Chile and that’s key.”
Team Principal Mark Preston also felt encouraged by the team’s progress during testing, saying that “the three days here in Valencia gave us a good amount of time to explore various avenues and when something worked really well, it offered new opportunities as we had the time to explore them…
“Although the Valencia track isn’t entirely representative as it’s a traditional race circuit, it still offers the opportunity to benchmark your performance with both yourself and others. It won’t tell you who is the fastest, but it’s possible to tell if you’ve made an advance compared to your benchmark.”
With the Formula E championship now being classified as a world championship, DS TECHEETAH and its two championship-winning drivers are hoping to become the first-ever Formula E world champions. With the stunning form the team has had in recent years, that’s something that could be a strong possibility.
