After DS Automobiles' first winless Formula E season: what's next for the French brand?

After two seasons, success has yet to fully materialise for the alliance between DS Automobiles and Penske Autosport. The team finished the two Formula E seasons in 5th and 3rd place. Only one of the 32 races was won: Jean-Eric Vergne won in Hyderabad on 11 February 2023. The future of the DS brand in the electric series is currently unclear - the marketing aspect is currently being under review.

Season 10 saw a first in Formula E history: for the first time since its entry in Season 2, DS Automobiles did not win a single E-Prix. This had never happened in the Gen1 era with Virgin Racing (now Envision) or in the Gen2 era with Techeetah.

On the one hand, this is surprising, as the majority of the team had celebrated great success in the Gen2 era under the name DS Techeetah: two drivers' titles with Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa as well as the team title in the 2019/20 coronavirus season. After Techeetah left the team, the manufacturer, driver Vergne and also the engineers moved to Team Penske.

However, major changes are currently underway here: Deputy Team Principal Phil Charles, former Technical Director of Jaguar, is currently restructuring the team significantly after moving to DS Penske in the spring. According to The Race, Clement Ailloud, Head of Strategy, team manager Nigel Beresford and race engineer Thibault Arnal have already left the team. Further personnel changes are to be expected.

The future of DS Automobiles in Formula E appears to be anything but certain: Unlike Jaguar, Lola, Nissan and Porsche, DS has not yet signed up as a manufacturer for the Gen4 era. It is very likely that the Stellantis Group, which also competes in the electric series with its Maserati brand, will remain. Behind DS, on the other hand, there is a question mark.

Franzetti: "Motorsport is a marketing tool"

"We carry out all simulations in terms of costs and return on investment, which is very, very, very important," says DS Performance boss Eugenio Franzetti. "We try to analyse all possible scenarios. It is also important that Formula E gives us all the information about the return on investment and the value of visibility," he adds, putting pressure on the electric series.

"Motorsport is a marketing tool," Franzetti continues. "In terms of the marketing, the value of the visibility that the championship has today and tomorrow is part of the analysis that we need to carry out." A statement that should certainly give food for thought, especially in times of weak TV ratings in key markets such as Germany and the UK.

Stellantis could also use its Formula E powertrains under the name of another group brand in the future. More than 20 years after the GT successes of the Dodge Viper GTS-R, the Dodge brand could potentially return to international motorsport. A development that would be welcomed by Formula E: The first US manufacturer in the history of the racing series could certainly be marketed well in the important North American market.