DS Automobiles third of the Teams’ Championship after the London E-Prix

• Antonio Felix Da Costa 5th in the London E-Prix’s second race

• DS Automobiles scores 10 points in the Teams’ Classifications

• The last two races of the season will take place in Seoul on the 13th and 14th of August

The second race of the London E-Prix, 14th round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Season 8, took place this afternoon on the challenging indoor/outdoor track of the ExCel. The eventful race was interrupted by one safety car resulting in 3-minutes additional racing time.

It all started this morning with a free practice session followed as usual by the qualifying. Antonio Felix Da Costa, at the wheel of his DS E-TENSE FE21 performed well and went through to the duels and semi-final to qualify 4th on the grid. Jean-Éric Vergne did not make it through to the duels and qualified 9th.

The London track is famous for being very challenging to overtake and it did not disappoint today. Both DS TECHEETAH drivers took a good start and Antonio Felix Da Costa kept his position. After 48 minutes of battle with a fierce competition, trying to stay out of trouble and out of the several incidents that took place on track, the Portuguese driver crossed the chequered flag 5th.

Jean-Éric Vergne, despite a good start, got caught in an incident in lap 1 and got hit at the back by another competitor, damaging the car and ending the race of the French driver prematurely.

Thanks to the 5th place of Antonio Felix Da Costa, DS TECHEETAH scored 10 points and is now standing third in the Teams’ Championship. The Portuguese driver is 5th and Jean-Éric Vergne 4th in the Drivers’ Championship.

The final rounds of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place in Seoul on the 13th and 14th August. It will be the first visit of the Championship to Korea and both team and drivers can’t wait to discover this new track.
 

Thomas Chevaucher, DS Performance Director and DS TECHEETAH Team Principal: 

“Our rhythm was much better today for this second race, but JEV was hit by another car and we lost precious points. The team is still in the top 3 and we will fight until the end to win this title!”

Mark Preston, TECHEETAH CEO: 

“It’s been a tough weekend for DS TECHEETAH in London with JEV being taken out early in the race with radiator damage. Antonio Felix Da Costa had a good qualifying ending up 4th on the grid and went on to bring home good points for the team. Now we look forward to the last two races in Seoul.”
 

António Félix da Costa, Formula E champion in 2020:

"Today was a little bit better. We qualified 4th and we were more competitive, but I really struggled during the second part of the race. My tires were gone, and it was very hard to stay there. I dropped back a little and finished 5th. We scored decent points and we will try to come back stronger for Seoul, the last event of this season.”

Jean-Éric Vergne, Formula E champion in 2018 and 2019:

“It’s not been a good weekend for me. During the first lap, somebody took off and then hit me so there is nothing I could have done. I thought I made it alive but then the car shut down and my race was over. It is what it is. It can be cruel sometimes in this sport. You just have toswallow the disappointment and keep pushing, keep smiling and stay motivated.”
 

DS Automobiles record in Formula E since season 2:

- 87 races

- 4 Championship titles

- 15 victories

- 44 podiums

- 21 pole positions

PRESS CONTACTS :

DS Performance : Nathalie Dumas : +33 (0) 6 60 26 10 37 –nathalie.dumas@external.stellantis.com

DS Automobiles : Benjamin Maigre : + 33 (0) 6 75 58 80 41 – benjamin.maigre@dsautomobiles.com

ABOUT DS TECHEETAH

DS TECHEETAH Formula-E team is a Chinese racing team in the all-electric street racing series, ABB FIA Formula E. The team is owned by SECA (Shanghai) Limited. 2018/19 season saw DS TECHEETAH secure both the Drivers’ Championship with Jean-Éric Vergne and the Teams’ Championship in the first year of our partnership with DS Automobiles. 

In the 2019/2020 season, DS TECHEETAH claimed its second back-to-back Teams' and Drivers’ Championship titles, this time with Antonio Felix Da Costa at the helm.

TECHEETAH holds the record of most Driver back-to-back wins with Jean-Éric Vergne and Antonio Felix DaCosta securing the Driver titles in 2018, 2019 and 2020. 

ABOUT CHINA MEDIA CAPITAL (CMC)

China Media Capital ("CMC"), founded and chaired by Ruigang Li, is one of the most prestigious names in media and entertainment investment and operation in China and global markets. CMC has created and grown a number of champions and emerging leaders in the sectors of media and entertainment, Internet and mobile, and life style, covering film, television, music, sports, location-based entertainment, financial media, financial data service, online-video, smart TV, advertising, social network, game, online-education, e-commerce, O2O and etc.

ABOUT SECA

Headquartered in Shanghai, SECA is a leading Chinese sports marketing and management company specializing in sports talent representation, event management and content/IP development. The company's investors include China Media Capital (CMC) Holdings and member of NBA Hall of Fame, Yao Ming.

ABOUT DS AUTOMOBILES 

Driven by the spirit of the avant-garde and backed by an exceptional heritage - that of the 1955 DS, the DS brand, born in 2014, aims to embody French luxury savoir-faire in the automotive industry. 

Designed for a customer base looking for personal expression and eager for new technologies, DS models combine refinement and technology. With DS 3 CROSSBACK, DS 4, DS 7 CROSSBACK and DS 9, DS brand is launching a global range. 

Only brand able to claim a double Formula E championship (Teams and Drivers) in 2019 and 2020, DS Automobiles is at the cutting edge of electrification by offering all its models in electrified version. Under the E-TENSE label, DS Automobiles offers both 100% electric and plug-in hybrid of up to 360 horsepower with 4-wheel drive. From 2024, every new model launched by DS Automobiles will be only 100% electric.

For its discerning customers, DS Automobiles has created "ONLY YOU, a wealth of attentions", its exclusive service programme for a unique brand experience. 

With a presence in 41 countries, the DS brand has created and is developing an exclusive distribution network that includes 400 DS STORES throughout the world. 

Follow news from DS internationally on www.DSautomobiles.com    @DS_Official