DS Penske Team Principal Jay Penske was left feeling “very proud” of the American team following the Berlin E-Prix double-header, after the weekend started on a disappointing note for the side.
The side were certainly pushed to their limits at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit for rounds seven and eight of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, after Stoffel Vandoorne had a nasty crash in the opening race. Vandoorne qualified third for Saturday’s race whilst Jean-Éric Vergne could only manage tenth, meaning it was the reigning World Champion who was expected to fight for a rostrum.
Vandoorne certainly had the pace to do so; however, he was forced into the wall on the exit of Turn Three by Dan Ticktum, after the Briton was seemingly unaware that the Belgian driver was on his outside. The collision with the wall did significant damage to his car, meaning the mechanics had a tough task at hand to get the car repaired for Sunday. DS Penske did claim some points on Saturday despite Vandoorne’s woes, with Vergne having finished seventh.
Vergne built on from his seventh-place finish in Saturday’s race to qualify fourth for Sunday’s race, after performing well in what was a wet qualifying. Vandoorne on the other hand, could only manage ninth, with his target having been staying out of trouble. That’s exactly what he did during the race to secure eighth, meaning he at least scored some points in Berlin.
Vergne, though, produced a really smart race to finish third, handing the team some crucial World Championship points. Following his positive weekend in Berlin, Vergne remained third in the standings but now only nineteen points behind Pascal Wehrlein, whilst Vandoorne remains well down the order in eleventh. In the Constructors’ Championship, DS Penske remained in fourth but did gain a point on the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, putting them sixty-one points behind.
Reflecting on the weekend, Penske used the word “resilience” to define his team’s effort, given how challenging Saturday was.
“Resilience. I think that’s the word for our weekend in Berlin. We had a very good qualifying on Saturday and then a tough race. But the team put all that behind them, refocused and pushed on to an equally good Sunday qualifying where again we put both cars inside the top 10. The drivers ran very smart races and the strategy calls were spot on.
“JEV fought in the top-5 all race long and finishing a very respectable third. A lot of good points this weekend and the team leaves 3rd in the drivers championship and 4th in the team championship. I’m very proud of the effort and looking forward to Monaco with the aim of getting both our drivers on the podium.”