The Cape Town circuit, specially set up on public roads for this first E-Prix, was new to everyone. In addition to the work on the simulator, there was also a circuit reconnaissance on foot, a very instructive moment before the first practice session in which everyone was able to get a better idea of the track and its requirements.
“I had seen some things in the simulator, like the bumps, which are well reproduced, but there is always an element of surprise,” said DS Penske driver Vergne. “And then in the simulator, when you take a corner too fast and hit a wall, it starts again.”
In the heart of the South African city, on the fastest urban circuit of the season, where the average speed exceeded 150 km/h and the cars reached a top speed of 230 km/h. Not bad for a street circuit with road signs and manhole covers!
Sebastien Buemi, Edoardo Mortara and Sam Bird would have paid the price for the novelty in a rather violent way. This was also the reason why some drivers found themselves in trouble during practice and before qualifying.
“I wasn’t feeling the car too much, so I preferred to be careful,” said Vergne. “I really started taking risks in qualifying, where it was important to preserve the car.”
Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske
Photo at: DPPI
In Group 1, the two championship-leading Porsches were back in contention, but Antonio Felix Da Costa missed out on the final round. Vergne did his homework and found himself in the quarter-final against Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz, who was in great form and took his first Formula E pole position.
In Group B, things did not go well for Porsche and DS Penske as the session ended with a red flag. Stoffel Vandoorne, who had just set the fastest time in the first sector, finished with more than a few regrets, as he finished only 12th, with teammate Vergne in 5th.
Experience is the mother of wisdom
On such a complex track, where every mistake can cost you dearly, it is above all the correct measurement of the risks and the energy strategy that allow the drivers to score points. In this sense, it was once again Vergne who dominated, as did his former teammate da Costa at the wheel of a factory Porsche. From the start of the season, DS Penske was the only team to give the German manufacturer an answer and the expected battle in South Africa actually took place.
After taking the lead in the E-Prix, Vergne found himself with da Costa in the rear view mirror, while the latter still had an attack mode to use. It was a cat-and-mouse game for the final laps of the race, in front of a large and visibly delighted crowd.
Da Costa was finally able to escape after a risky manoeuvre, thus taking his first victory for the Porsche after starting from 13th place.
Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske
Photo at: DPPI
However, Vergne’s strategy paid off for second place and he also set the fastest lap in the race.
“Of course I would have preferred to win, but I’m happy with the result,” said the French driver. “Tonio was quite aggressive and I preferred to keep my cool, especially because I didn’t see him in the mirrors when he started to pass me.”
“If I had pushed him towards the wall, he could have hit him, bounced and knocked us both out. I think if we didn’t both have a lot of racing experience, it could have ended badly.”
After a very busy start to the season, with races every fortnight since mid-January, the Formula E world championship teams have one month to prepare for the next round.
The championship will take them once again to an unknown circuit, this time in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), for the sixth round on March 25th.
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