CAN DS TECHEETAH JOIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE?
There was a period during the Mexico City E-prix that suggested Jean-eric Vergne was in the best position to take victory. Sitting in Edoardo Mortara’s wake,
Vergne was ready to coax his Techeetah machinery into making a pounce for the lead – but the strength of the
Porsches proved too much to resist.
Still, in the context of the race, third was an excellent result for Vergne. Team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa also did well to pick up fourth after his earlier prang with Andre Lotterer cost him time and produced a momentary lapse down the order.
After Techeetah began the Gen2 era with three drivers’ titles on the bounce, last season proved to be a significantly more difficult year. Da Costa’s title defence only yielded eighth overall in the drivers’ standings, while double champ Vergne could only managed 10th – with one win apiece.
But 2022 has yielded a silver lining. Vergne has points from all three races and, as the teams continue to get acquainted with the new qualifying format, it should be noted that Techeetah has managed to get both cars into the duels in the past two races. Had the Mexico groups fallen differently, either Vergne or da Costa could have made a more significant play for a spot in the finals too.
Techeetah’s race pace, however, is arguably stronger than its speed on one lap. As a result, Vergne looks much more comfortable than he did last year, getting back to the level of performance that yielded his two titles. Da Costa is recovering too, shaking off a dire weekend at Diriyah to chalk up his first points of the season in Mexico.
There’s nothing to separate the drivers, which is a fantastic problem for Techeetah to have. Drawn against each other in the latest qualifying quarter-finals, a scant 0.011-second margin split the pair on their single-lap shootout, with Vergne just nosing ahead. If Porsche, Mercedes and Venturi show any signs of weakness across the rest of the season, Techeetah will be firmly in the frame to keep them honest.
Vergne was optimistic that Techeetah can have its own day in the sun this season, expressing his delight with his first podium of the year: “We were the second-best team this weekend in Mexico, and one day it’s going to be as the strongest team, and us winning.”
“WE WERE THE SECOND-BEST TEAM THIS WEEKEND, AND ONE DAY IT’S GOING TO BE AS THE STRONGEST TEAM”