"Grand Gala" livery: DS Penske wears a dinner jacket at the Formula E race in Monaco

For the French manufacturer DS Automobiles, Monaco is a kind of substitute home race in the Formula E World Championship. The team led by Jay Penske describes this weekend's E-Prix as the "highlight of the season". To make the weekend even more special, both DS Penske cars as well as the helmets and suits of Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne will have a special design.

No place in the motorsport world is as synonymous with glitz and glamour as Monaco. From the marina to the luxury casino, the principality spoils the upper class. The Monegasques are just as famous for their galas. Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance, cites this as the basic idea for the unique livery: "You could say that our racing cars have donned the dinner jacket and bow tie for the Formula E Grand Gala."

DS Penske awakens nostalgic feelings

In typical DS style, the team's Formula E cars have been driving in gold and black all season and will continue to do so. In Monaco, the original design gives way to "evening wear" and goes hand in hand with stylish elegance, as the team itself sees it. The deep black is much more present and is decorated with contour-emphasising golden lines. The overall look of the foiling benefits from the now exclusively two-colour design, as all sponsor logos are also in gold.

For those who have been following the world of motorsport for a long time, the legendary Lotus racing cars may spring to mind when they see the DS E-Tense FE23 "Grand Gala". The special livery was created by British designer Sean Bull, who also designed the team's regular livery. He was aiming for the nostalgia factor, as he revealed on Instagram: "We wanted to revive the golden era of art deco and motorsport of the 1920s and 30s."

DS Penske must improve in the race

Recently in Misano, Jean-Eric Vergne in particular scored points with a good pace. The DS drivers were both very strong in qualifying, but the race and energy management were not yet at the level of the top teams. With six points-scoring results in seven races so far, "JEV" has managed to stay in the top third of the table. However, if he wants to play a part in the title decider, DS Penske must take a step forward.

Stoffel Vandoorne is currently unable to match the performance of the Formula E double champion. With a 31-point deficit to Vergne and just 22 points in his account, the Belgian finally needs a good result. Both drivers have already won in Monaco. We will see whether they can do it again on 27 April at this year's Monaco E-Prix.