DS brings up ton with vital points

In fact, the French brand celebrated its hundredth race this weekend during the double-header held in Jakarta, Indonesia, reflecting its remarkable longevity in the series. Since making its debut in the championship, the team has racked up four titles (Teams’ and Drivers’), sixteen race wins, forty-seven podium-finishes and twenty-two pole positions. Alongside its American partner PENSKE, the French squad was determined to maintain its impressive form with its DS E-TENSE FE23 at a circuit where Jean-Eric Vergne had finished on the podium at last year’s inaugural race in the Indonesian capital. Saturday’s track sessions saw the French outfit confirm its good intentions, as well as the clear competitiveness of its drivers, as Jean-Eric Vergne and defending champion Stoffel Vandoorne finished fourth and fifth in qualifying. In the race itself, the two DS PENSKE drivers showed great fighting spirit as ever, finishing fourth and fifth after swapping positions with each other.

In Sunday’s race, Vandoorne and Vergne were eager to confirm their good form in the stifling heat and humidity, but had to settle for fifth and ninth places on the starting grid. Unfortunately, Vergne’s hopes of a good result evaporated quickly when his car suffered a damaged front wing following a contact with another car, whilst Vandoorne, after spending much of the race fighting among the frontrunners, could do no better than ninth after an incident-packed race which saw him suffer from a radio issue and a suspension issue caused by a contact. The information gathered during the weekend nonetheless means that DS PENSKE can head into the final leg of the championship very determined to fight at the front, certain to have built the right platform to do just that. The series now heads across the pond for a new round at Portland, Oregon, on 24 June.

Championship update

The twenty-four points scored by DS PENSKE ensure that the Franco-American team remains in contention in the teams’ standings, with five races to go until the end of the season. It’s much the same story in the drivers’ championship, where the ten points collected by Jean-Eric Vergne mean that he is now just twelve points adrift of fourth place in the standings, whilst Stoffel Vandoorne added fourteen points to his tally, confirming his return to form.