While tricky weather conditions spiced up the action, various racing incidents ended up reshuffling the pack by playing havoc with team strategies.

Performance was once again on point for DS Automobiles at the historic Berlin-Tempelhof airfield circuit. With just eight laps to go, Jean-Éric Vergne and Maximilian Günther were running in third and fourth places respectively: ample proof that the DS E-TENSE FE25 cars had the speed to fight for the podium.

But luck wasn’t fully on the side of the French premium brand’s drivers. JEV suffered a suspension failure (on a standardised part common to all the cars) that forced him to retire. Meanwhile, Maximilian lost positions after the Safety Car came out with about 10 laps still to go. Without “Attack Mode” available to fend off rivals, the German still managed a solid race to eventually finish sixth and score eight valuable points for the team.

After this first encounter of the Berlin E-Prix double-header, DS PENSKE remains third in the Teams’ championship – with a score of 153 points – and has even closed the gap to second place.

Eugenio Franzetti, DS Performance Director:

“The day was very much affected by rain; starting in free practice and continuing into qualifying, which could only be partially completed. Despite the tough conditions, our drivers did a great job, solidly qualifying in fifth and seventh positions. During the race, we were fighting for a podium, but the Safety Car allowed our rivals to close in. Then JEV had a suspension breakage, which unfortunately forced him to retire. The good news is that we’re still in third place in the teams’ standings and we have another chance to score points tomorrow.”

Maximilian Günther:

“Overall it was a good day. We did many things right, with a strong qualifying session in the rain that put us in the top five, followed by a solid race. We also put in the maximum to ensure that we could execute our strategy and our pit stop well. The pace was certainly there, and we were running third and fourth in the closing stages. Then the Safety Car compromised part of our race. It’s disappointing, but that’s also part of motorsport. Under the circumstances, finishing sixth is a good result. I’d like to point out the great job done by the whole team, as we felt confident in all conditions. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow!”

Jean-Éric Vergne, 2018 and 2019 Formula E Champion:

“It was a tough day. The team gave me a great car. We were very fast in the rain and it was looking good for a podium. Unfortunately, something broke in the front suspension and I had to retire. It’s a shame, but we have another chance tomorrow to leave Berlin on a positive note.”