Generally speaking, DS Penske cars love new circuits. With the exception of Tokyo last March, tracks still untouched by electric single-seater racing have often smiled on the Franco-American team. This weekend could have produced even more points, but it's important to underline the good pace set by the two DS E-TENSE FE23s throughout the weekend.
The dominance of Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne in practice, followed by JEV's outstanding performance right through to the final qualifying session, against Mich Evans' Jaguar, will be remembered from the first day. In the race, the Frenchman was also at the forefront, crossing the finish line in third place, at the wheel of a single-seater damaged by numerous contacts. One of these resulted in a five-second penalty, dropping him back to sixth place. But Vandoorne's eighth-place finish, after starting 18th, was also reassuring in terms of the car's level of performance.
And so, on Sunday morning, the story of the previous day was repeated. This time, however, there were two DS Penske cars in the quarter-finals instead of one. Vergne was once again second on the grid, and Vandoorne was in sixth place. For this second race of the weekend, the configuration is slightly different, with 26 laps to cover compared with 28 the day before.
This means that the energy strategy is shifted, but the tactics remain the same: the advantage does not necessarily go to the leader, who uses more energy than the others, but to the one who can stay at the front and attack at the right moment.
Source: Autosport