DS Automobiles aims for a third “double” title in season eight of Formula E

• The opening two rounds of the eighth ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place in Diriyah (Saudi Arabia) this weekend
• Teams’ and Drivers’ title double, last won in 2019/20, is again the aim for DS Automobiles and partner TECHEETAH
• Past champions Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa front the line-up aboard pair of DS E-TENSE FE21s for 2022 season

For the third year in succession, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will kick off in  Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, at one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar. Following a highly  competitive 2020/21 campaign, in which it finished third in the Teams’ standings, DS  TECHEETAH is raring to go for another title assault in 2022. Its aim is to reclaim the title Teams’ and Drivers’ title double which it claimed in 2019/20.

Leading the team’s charge once again will be double champion Jean-Éric Vergne (2018 and 2019)  alongside the 2020 champion António Félix da Costa. The experienced duo will target title glory aboard a pair of DS E-TENSE FE21 cars, developed by DS Performance, the racing division of DS  Automobiles. With a focus on 100 per cent electric power from 2024, DS Automobiles enters the new season with the goal of putting French technology and innovation in the limelight over the course of the most intense season in the championship’s history, disputed across 16 races.

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

“Our cars have always been very competitive on this circuit but we’ve still yet to win in Saudi  Arabia, so this is the big challenge for us straight out of the box this year. As we saw last year, the title fight was incredibly tight – a lot of this was down to the sporting regulations which punished championship leaders in qualifying. Thankfully, this element has been tweaked for this year and we’re back to pure performance. That suits us perfectly because it’s an area that our excellent drivers thrive in, and we can really count on them to make the most of their ability to try and claim back the pair of titles which evaded us last year.”

Mark Preston, TECHEETAH CEO:

“The immediate focus is to win the Teams’ and Drivers’ titles and we’re more than ready. 2022 truly feels like we are hitting a tipping point in the EV marketplace. EV's have outsold diesel cars in Europe for the first time. With this historic change afoot, and new EV manufacturers coming to market every day we approach the new season full of optimism for the season and the year ahead. The team will be working extremely hard to take us back to the top step of the podium and take the fight to all our great competitors.”

António Félix da Costa, Formula E champion in 2020:

“I can’t wait to get back to racing! It’s been a particularly productive off-season for us which has given us the opportunity to improve the performance of our DS-ETENSE FE21. The whole team is very strong and even more motivated to get going in Saudi Arabia. Diriyah is a circuit I enjoy, so I hope this is a good omen to achieve a strong result at the start of the new season, with two  good races.”

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

“I’m more ready than ever ahead of the new season! Whether it’s from a mental, physical or  technical standpoint. We’ve worked a lot during the long off-season and I’m desperate to drive in Diriyah. This year’s championship is going to be very competitive thanks to the new, fairer qualifying rules and we can definitely be in the fight for both titles.”

DS Automobiles record in Formula E since season 2:

- 73 races

- 4 titles

- 14 victories

- 37 podiums

- 17 pole positions

- 12 fastest laps

- 57 super poles

PRESS CONTACTS:

Krystyna Perry - 07710 062783 - krystyna.perry@stellantis.com - PR Manager

Kristian Cholmondeley – 07831 315892 – kristian.cholmondeley@stellantis.com – Head of PR

Jeremy Townsend – 07827 896480 – jeremy.townsend@stellantis.com – UK Communications Director

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 Félix Da Costa at the helm.

TECHEETAH holds the record of most Driver back-to-back wins with Jean-Éric Vergne and Antonio Felix Da  Costa 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, the DS brand is launching a global range.

DS Automobiles is the only brand able to claim a double Formula E championship (Teams and Drivers) in 2019 and 2020, and is at the cutting edge of electrification by offering all its models as electrified versions. Under the E-TENSE label, DS Automobiles offers both 100 per cent 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 over 440 DS STORES throughout the world.

Follow news from DS on www.DSautomobiles.co.uk   @DS_UK

DS PERFORMANCE COMMUNICATION - 19 ALLEE DES MARRONNIERS 78000 VERSAILLES 

DSPERFORMANCE@DSAUTOMOBILES.COM