DS Techeetah has unveiled its Season Five Formula E challenger, the DS E-TENSE FE19 at a launch event in Versailles ahead of the start of the 2018/19 season which is set to commence on December 15 in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia.
After securing the Drivers' Championship with Jean-Eric Vergne last season as Formula E's sole independent outfit, Techeetah heads into Season Five with a new alliance with DS Automobiles who had previously partnered rival team Virgin Racing for three seasons.
Techeetah put on a dominant display of performance over the course of Season Four, taking four victories and four further podiums with Vergne and team-mate Andre Lotterer and as such, the team will maintain its current driver lineup for Formula E's next generation of racing while James Rossiter and Zhou Guanyu will continue in their development driver roles.
"It is with great pleasure that we have now officially begun our partnership with DS and embarked on our first year as DS Techeetah," said team principal Mark Preston.
"We're also delighted to announce that reigning World Champion, Jean-Éric Vergne, and his outstanding team-mate from Season Four, André Lotterer, will both continue with the team this season.
"With Jean-Éric and André as our Drivers and James Rossiter and Zhou Guanyu as our Development Drivers this year, we believe that we have a very strong driver line-up and we are incredibly excited to go racing."
Season Five marks an all-new look for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, with the series' first generation Spark SRT 01E machinery being replaced by the all-new aggressively designed Gen2 car, formerly known as the SRT05e
Having double the battery life, the Gen2 will be able to complete the entire length of a race, removing the need for Formula E's mandatory mid-race car switch that gave the series a unique element for its first four seasons.
Furthermore, the series will also see its electric racers hit higher speeds, with the maximum power output of cars increasing to 250kW (338hp) while the introduction of new power modes and the 'hyperboost' (a 25kW increase in power by driving on a different part of the circuit) will also add additional elements of strategy.
Reigning Formula E Drivers' Champion Vergne expressed his delight in continuing to drive for Techeetah and expects that the team will be a force to be reckoned with as a fully-fledged works team:
"I'm incredibly happy to continue another year with the team. After winning the 2017/2018 Driver's Title and now with the addition of DS this season, we are even stronger, and it should be a great year," he said.
"It is a very exciting time for the championship with the Gen2 car entering the all-electric street racing championship and we can expect is a new level of competition and excitement,"
Now with a full season's experience of Formula E under his belt, triple 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Lotterer is longing for success in the single-seater series:
"The DS E-TENSE FE19 doesn't just look fantastic, it's also brilliant to drive. I got the taste for success in Formula E last season and I'm keen for more this year," he said.
"We have a really strong team and I feel we can achieve great things together.
"With my previous experience I know how important it is to have everyone under the same roof when you work towards the same goal, so it's a great asset for us coming into the season ahead."
