DS Techeetah & Da Costa: the Uncertain Future for Formula E's Champions
(copyright FIA Formula E)
It seems strange to suggest that DS Techeetah, the most successful team in the history of Formula E, might have questions to answer, but that’s the situation in which we find ourselves. The triple-champion team which currently employs Antonio Felix da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne is pushing ahead with its title challenge for this season in Formula E, while still deciding on its future involvement in the category.
“I have no idea at the moment, said Vergne, “I don't know if there will be a team next year. It's not an easy situation,” according to Motorsport.com in June. “But we are fantastic people, we work very hard to make sure that we remain all together next year. We all want to continue the story together. It's a question you need to ask the investors. It's been very difficult, and I don't know where we are going at the moment.” The uncertainty comes because Seca, the Chinese owners of Techeetah, are looking to sell part or all of the team.
Both da Costa and Vergne have deals for next season with their team, however their deals are quite different. Vergne is a contracted driver with Peugeot and DS along with a stake in Techeetah, while da Costa’s deal is only with Techeetah. This has been reported in some reputable publications as having led to tension when Vergne was signed up for the new Peugeot Le Mans project.
Vergne after another success with DS Techeetah (copyright FIA Formula E)
Peugeot were thought to have approached da Costa, only for Techeetah to express that they did not want both their drivers taking dual roles. Both drivers have taken LMP2 sportscar roles in the past and (in the case of da Costa) are currently involved with WEC, with no drop-off in performance.
Da Costa took an IndyCar test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan at the end of 2020, and acquitted himself well. The Portuguese would be right to look at the way that Marcus Ericsson, Roman Grosjean, and former Formula E star Felix Rosenqvist have adapted seamlessly to racing in North America, and to think that he could do the same.
Having raced at Daytona and Sebring, and having taken part in many Assetto Corsa and iRacing lobbies with drivers based over there during the pandemic shutdown in 2020, da Costa has existing friendships in the US, and has exactly the right mentality - that balance of a sense of humour, a lack of a dangerous ego, and a willingness to listen and learn, that IndyCar teams and - crucially - fans love.
Da Costa enjoys a race win (copyright FIA Formula E)
Da Costa said to Motorsport.com that, “my plan is to be here and help this championship keep on growing, keep on getting successful, be a part of it, be a part of the sustainability message. So, if I'm not here next year, it's because somebody really f***ed up.” That’s not saying he won’t be here - but da Costa is not a man who easily hides his annoyance in situations like these.
There is also the question of what exactly DS Automobiles is getting from Formula E. It has been a manufacturer in the category since Season Two (2015-16), when it supplied Virgin Racing. Citroen and DS have now been absorbed, along with PSA stablemates Peugeot, into the giant Stellantis group, which also includes Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. DS Automobiles have pledged they will take part in the Formula E Gen3 rules era, but they’ll do so under new senior management, and considerable additional scrutiny.
DS’s involvement in Formula E comes out of the marketing budget, however it is noticeable that Peugeot received far more glowing brand-related traffic on social media for the launch of its 2022 hybrid Le Mans Hypercar project than DS has since the beginning of its tie-in with Techeetah.
(copyright FIA Formula E)
While DS has said that it has been approached to supply teams - and must do so if asked alongside its “factory” team - the assumption had been that it will do this while continuing working with Techeetah.
Were the Chinese-led team to leave Formula E, it would by no means be a wasted investment for DS; nothing so successful could be called that. It would, though, be surprising if one or two Stellantis board members weren’t wondering why marques like Audi and Nissan had managed to find marketing tie-ins with their Formula E involvement, but DS, ostensibly, has not to the same degree.
DS entered Formula E at a time when the Le Mans Hypercar regulations were not on the table, and when Formula E looked like the best show in town for manufacturers looking for marketing gains at a reasonable price. While sportscar racing is not all-electric, it does allow for aggressive brand-specific exterior designs, something Formula E was never going to accommodate. In short, the landscape has changed, and Formula E is now part of a more diverse patchwork of motorsport categories than was the case at the start of the Gen2 era.
None of this is Techeetah’s fault. They have delivered - arguably overdelivered - on their side of the bargain, by winning the past three Formula E titles and building an aura of, at times, unassailability. From the foundations of the Aguri Formula E operation, Techeetah hired the best possible people to run the team, and, crucially, built it around Jean-Eric Vergne, with the Frenchman taking a minority stake in the team. Shareholdings don’t make anyone faster in and of themselves, but as Mercedes Grand Prix showed in offering stakes to Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda, financial involvement can bring a welcome spur to stick at it through hard times, and make things work.
When the team was focused entirely on putting Vergne on top of the podium, it was the happiest the former Red Bull junior driver had been in years. Techeetah always seemed like ‘his’ team, and in effect was.
Techeetah’s progress is clear for all to see (copyright FIA Formula E)
While 2017-2019 teammate Andre Lotterer is no average driver, da Costa was a clear upgrade, and in the early part of last season, and then again this season, there were feisty battles between the DS Techeetahs, with carbon fibre exchanged on multiple occasions. Team Principal Mark Preston has always taken the pragmatic public approach that both drivers are adults, and can resolve their differences as such, with the Australian only stepping in when absolutely needed. So far it has been an uneasy peace, but an extremely successful approach.
Formula E announced its calendar this week at the time of writing. There will be plenty of time to reflect on the optimism it generates for all-electric street racing after two seasons that have tested its management to the limit. With all that said, the make-up of next season’s grid is unknown.
Audi are pulling out, with every indication that Abt Sportsline will not be stepping into the vacuum with its own privateer team. Andretti will carry the BMW power units they have run as a works team this season, and yet this is a temporary arrangement that will need to be superseded by a longer-term deal for the Gen3 era. Meanwhile there are key teams still not signed up to Gen3, something expected to be remedied shortly, which is hardly calming nerves at the moment.
DS signing up for Gen3 is great news, and yet Techeetah has helped make Formula E the hugely competitive World Championship it is. It is to be hoped that they join their powertrain partners in signing up for the sport’s future.
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