Two-time Formula E Champion Jean-Eric Vergne is hoping for a new season with better results for DS PENSKE after a fateful performance in season nine.
In the debut of the GEN3 era, Vergne scored three podiums and a victory in the inaugural E-Prix in Hyderabad, finishing fifth in the final standings. But, champion that he is, he always wants more.
With pre-season testing in Valencia fast approaching, Vergne looks back on DS PENSKE’s first campaign and how the team approaches the challenge ahead.
“Of course, I can’t say I was happy with last season,” said Vergne at a press conference. “Especially, to win two championships, victories and podiums and then to be struggling like we did last year was not a nice thing.”
Working on Flaws
Vergne assured that after the 2023 results the team has a huge amount of work to do to improve the car.
“We know the areas to improve – will we be able to fix all the problems we found? I can’t tell you that. I think only the results will be able to answer that question,” he told the media.
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DS PENSKE finished fifth in the team standings in Season 9, with Vergne and reigning champion at the time, Stoffel Vandoorne, leading the team. However, the squad knows that its competitors will also have made good use of the summer break.
“We have to be realistic,” Vergne continues. “We have tough competition. They didn’t go on vacation and did nothing, so we can expect the top teams to be even stronger next season.”
“We have to double the amount of work we produce if we want to catch them and beat them. It won’t be easy. We’re clearly not the favorites this year, but it’s not a bad situation as long as we know we can improve and win. We are working very hard and we want to get a better result as a team, that’s for sure,” concluded the rider.
