Paris ePrix: Vergne-Dillmann, so close, so far
Two French drivers are involved in Formula E this season: Jean-Eric Vergne and Tom Dillmann. Two drivers with radically different backgrounds!
Once well-stocked, the French contingent in Formula E has decreased over the years. While there were up to six French drivers at the start of the New York ePrix in season 3, the number has dropped at the start of the current championship. Survivors, the Parisian Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah) and the Alsatian Tom Dillmann (NIO) are now the two French drivers in the race!
Tom Dillmann, discreet CDD
Already adversaries in karting, Vergne and Dillmann have had quite different careers. While the first managed to break through to Formula 1 (58 starts for Toro Rosso between 2012 and 2014), the second never reached the top category, despite Red Bull’s support… just like the Parisian!
Thanked by the Junior Team at the end of 2008, Dillmann still had a good path in single-seaters, promoted to GP2, for two seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Fallen back to Formula Renault 3.5 (2015 and 2016), Tom Dillmann’s electric adventure began just two years ago in Paris. As a freelancer for the Venturi team, the native of Mulhouse scored points upon finishing his first race, with an eighth place. A fond memory… since surpassed by his fourth place in New York last year. A nice result that nevertheless hides his low number of races: ten in two seasons.
But this season, Dillmann is finally a starter! His landing spot is the British team NIO, formerly China Racing, the team that brought Nelson Piquet to the title in 2014-2015 during the first season. However, the present is less cheerful: the Frenchman still hasn’t scored a point this season. The reason is a recurring performance deficit in the powertrain of his car. The problem is, teams are not allowed to change it during the season!
“We’re going to drag this problem throughout the whole season,” admits the main party, dejected. And this issue is costly: struggling in qualifications, Tom Dillmann often starts at the back of the grid. A double blow, the main party has rarely had the chance to climb back up during the race. He could almost have hoped for something during a crazy ePrix in Santiago, Chile. But alas, his NIO car stalled at the first lap. Frustrating!
« It’s going to be hard for me to perform well by the end of the season! »
Jean-Eric Vergne, at the turning point of confirmation
On his part, the Parisian is experiencing a difficult season after having known glory. Arriving in the winter of 2014, Vergne made his electric debut during the third race of the first season in Uruguay. After promising stints with Andretti and then DS Virgin Racing, he then moved to Techeetah during the 2016-2017 season. An adventure marked by 6 victories, 4 pole positions, and a driver’s championship title last year. A crowning achievement that confirmed his status as a top driver in the discipline, alongside Sébastien Buemi or Lucas di Grassi, who are also champions, and Sam Bird, with eight victories in the Formula E series.
This season, Vergne has a target on his back as the reigning champion. Even if it means going overboard like in the last ePrix, penalized for overtaking under Full Course Yellow. But his other races have not been smooth sailing, notably with three races without points in a row, in Santiago, Mexico, and Hong Kong. His total is saved by his victory in China, at the Sanya ePrix: 54 points overall, just nine points behind leader Jérôme d’Ambrosio. A small miracle for the main party involved, who now has a different tactic:
Première victoire de la saison pour Jean-Éric Vergne hier lors du ePrix de Sanya 👏🇫🇷
Il termine devant Rowland après un beau dépassement ! Da Costa complète le podium et reprend la tête du championnat.
JEV revient à seulement 8 points de Da Costa.
Résumé du #SanyaEPrix👇🇨🇳 pic.twitter.com/kwDgG0yQvY
— Secteur F1 🏎🇫🇷 (@Secteur_F1) 24 mars 2019
« Now, I have to capitalize: if it’s a fifth place at the finish, I have to take it. I need to score as many points as possible and be consistent. »
The objectives are therefore quite different for the two French competitors: while Jean-Eric Vergne intends to return to victory “by the end of the season,” Tom Dillmann simply hopes “to score points” and avoid a complete miss. A world apart, even in the relationships between the two men. “We’ve known each other since we started, but we rarely talk,” the latter confides. Will they even cross paths on the track this Saturday?
From our special correspondent in Paris
