Two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne managed to put his name in the record books in Shanghai, as he achieved his 16th Julius Baer Pole Position. The impressive feat sees him tied on the top with Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi for the most pole positions in Formula E history, and marks his second first place grid slot of the season after doing the same in Diriyah.
“I was not aware of this statistic,” Vergne said when told of his achievement. “It's always nice!”
Vergne and his DS PENSKE machine have looked quick so far this weekend, with the Frenchman even topping FP2 albeit with an identical lap time to Andretti’s Norman Nato. JEV will start this afternoon’s inaugural Shanghai E-Prix alongside Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and hope to make it back-to-back victories in China after winning the 2019 Sanya E-Prix.
THROWBACK: Relive the action from the 2019 Sanya E-Prix
“It's very good to be pole here today,” the polesitter continued. “Qualifying was not easy. It's very difficult to drive those cars, they're very slippery and you almost have to under-drive it to not make any mistakes. So it was tough, but I’m very happy. Now we have to focus on the race.”
Although the Shanghai International Circuit is a new venue for the all-electric championship, it is not a new racing location for Jean-Eric Vergne who had plenty of experience racing here in other series. The track is a shorter layout than what most motorsport fans might be familiar with, but it holds many of the same unique characteristics.
CIRCUIT: What does the Shanghai E-Prix circuit look like?
“It's not really a new circuit for me as I've raced a few times here in Formula 1. It’s basically the same sector one and two. I mean, it's for sure different to drive in Formula E and in Formula 1 on this track and it's very challenging. There's not a lot of grip. The corners radius are very, very long so you have understeer, then oversteer and then understeer. It's a question of managing this quite well. It's not easy!”
Vergne picks up an additional three championship points, and keeps him sixth in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with six rounds left to go.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2024 Shanghai E-Prix Rounds 11 & 12
Next up is lights out scheduled at 15:00 local.
WATCH: How to watch every race of Formula E Season 10
Following this, Sunday’s action starts with Free Practice 3 at 08:00, followed by Round 12 qualifying and the race at 10:20 and 15:00 local time respectively.
Follow the race LIVE and listen to full race commentary on web and in the Formula E app!
Follow all the action on-track as it happens in the Race Centre.
Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow your favourite driver during every session of every E-Prix – plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.