Zurich ePrix: Presentation and Stakes

The title for Jean-Éric Vergne?

Now that there are three races left before the conclusion of the championship, the stakes are increasingly diminished.

With a 40-point lead over Sam Bird, Jean-Eric Vergne is getting closer to the championship title. However, it would take an underperformance from the DS Virgin driver for the Frenchman to be crowned before the New York double-header. While the suspense is diminishing regarding the identity of the 2017-2018 season champion, the race for the third place on the drivers’ standings podium remains open. Indeed, Felix Rosenqvist, Daniel Abt, and Sébastien Buemi are separated by only four points.

This home race could be the perfect moment for the Renault e.Dams driver to make a big impact in this battle. On his side, Rosenqvist, who has been going through a rough patch for a few races, seems unlikely to maintain this third place if this trend continues. Finally, Daniel Abt, coming off a convincing victory in Berlin, will have the opportunity to ride the wave of euphoria from the win to score big points.

The other tight battles involve drivers between seventh and tenth place in the championship, which is being contested within eight points among Mitch Evans, Nelson Piquet, Oliver Turvey, and André Lotterer.

Formula E brings motorsport back to Switzerland

A historic event will take place this weekend with the grand return of car racing in Switzerland. Indeed, it has been 60 years since any car competition was banned in the country. This ban followed the shock generated by the Le Mans accident in 1955, which caused numerous casualties. Until now, only hill climb races could be organized in the alpine country. More specifically, the first Swiss ePrix will take place in the streets of the most populous city of the confederation, Zurich.

The single-seaters will compete on a 2.46 km track featuring a total of 11 turns. The circuit will take place in the port district, notably using Mythenquai and Alfred-Escher Street. A particular feature of this temporary layout is two long straights that should showcase the top speed of the cars. This Julius Baer Zürich E-Prix (sponsor of Formula E) will be an opportunity for Sébastien Buemi and Edoardo Mortara to shine in front of their home crowd.

Embark on a tour of the Zurich circuit:

Who wants to discover the #ZurichEprix track ? 😇 #ABBFormulaE #VENTURI #MadeInMonaco pic.twitter.com/jzEgxdkbZ2

— Venturi Formula E (@VenturiGP) 6 juin 2018

The information to remember

Alex Tai officially leaves DS Virgin:

It is now official, DS Virgin Director Alex Tai has decided to resign from his position with immediate effect. However, he will continue to play a consulting role for the British team for the rest of the season. He will be replaced in this position by the deputy director and technical director of the team, Sylvain Filippi. Tai had been a member of the Virgin company for about ten years as director of special projects, which led him to briefly lead the Virgin Racing team in F1 in 2010, before dedicating himself to creating the Formula E team in 2014. Initially, he started as a driver before climbing the company’s ranks.

To find a replacement for him, Virgin and its new shareholder Envision might turn to Italian Marco Mattiaci. The former director of the Prancing Horse’s F1 team led the company’s American commercial branch for 15 years. He had joined the American company Faraday Future as an executive in 2016, before quickly leaving his position due to the fragility of the electric vehicle construction project.

Breaking news: @JeanEricVergne and @Andre_Lotterer, DS Performance development drivers! #FormulaE pic.twitter.com/dy9qbzMz4X

— DS Performance (@DS_Performance) 6 juin 2018

Vergne and Lotterer have indeed tested DS’s second-generation single-seater:

As announced earlier, the two Techeetah drivers tested the DS Performance single-seater for the first time at the Calafat circuit in Spain. This allowed the French manufacturers to gather initial feedback from the two drivers of the team leading the championship this season. Although it is not yet official, it seems to confirm the signing of a manufacturer contract between Techeetah and DS for next year.

The TV program

The qualifications will ultimately not be broadcast on Canal + Sport

**Attention, exceptionally the race will take place on Sunday**.