"Monaco is a special moment": We met Formula E driver Jean-Eric Vergne before the Monaco E-Prix

It's an understatement to say he's one of the big guns in the Formula E world championship. In electric single-seaters, Jean-Eric Vergne, who has been involved since season 1 (135 races contested), has 2 titles, 11 victories (including the 2019 Monaco E-Prix), 36 podiums, 17 pole positions and... 1159 points. No less.

Despite this, the sacred servant of a DS-Penske team dominated by Porsche, Nissan and McLaren at the start of the year, does not arrive with the status of favorite in the Principality... where he intends to take advantage of the two races of the weekend to gain a few places in the standings (9th, 26 pts)...

Jean-Eric, when the races between Formula E and Endurance are endless, is Monaco just another weekend?

Oh no! Monaco is a special moment. The most special weekend of the FE. It's the race where everyone wants to do well. Every driver dreams of adding it to their list of achievements. Personally, since France no longer hosts an E-Prix, I consider it a bit like the home round. That said, aside from a few extra marketing activities, the timing doesn't vary from the other rounds.

For the first time, we'll be running two races at the foot of the Rock. What do you think?

I would have preferred them to keep the original format. Monaco is the most prestigious of trophies. Normally, you can only win it once a year. Now, two different winners will join the list of winners at once, unless the same driver triumphs on Saturday and Sunday. Strange... It somewhat diminishes the magic of winning this race , I think.

For most spectators, this will be an opportunity to discover the new Gen3 Evo single-seater. What difference will be obvious from the stands?

They will mainly measure the change by looking at overtaking under the "Attack Mode" regime (power boosted for eight minutes during each race after the activation of two terminals located in a bend, editor's note) . Now, with four-wheel drive, it's dazzling, quite impressive. As we know, in Monaco, Formula E always generates many more overtaking moves than F1 (197 counted during the previous edition!). There, there will definitely be even more action.

To spice up the show, Formula E has added a strategic element to some races: a pit stop for a quick recharge. Are you interested in this "Pit Boost"?

It's hard to have an opinion on this. So far, we've only been able to use it once, in Saudi Arabia. In Jeddah, I didn't get the impression that any particular strategy worked better than the others. For example, my teammate (German Maximilian Günther) didn't accelerate too much during the refueling window. He found himself quite far behind me, and then he fought back to win the race! In short, it's not easy to plan something. You especially need to understand which strategy can make the difference when the time comes, depending on your position.

If you were asked to look back, how would you judge your start to the season?

Let's just say we limited the damage in the first four rounds by scoring points everywhere. In Miami the other day, we had a very good car. Enough to get stronger. Unfortunately, the red flag completely ruined my chances of finishing in the top 10 (12th) . Too bad... Up until now, the performance hasn't been exceptional. But I'm still confident . There are a few small details, settings, that we can improve. That we'll improve to make the power train more efficient, among other things. The team is working hard. Nothing is left to chance. If we're not in the lead car today, there's a way to get closer to the title contenders in the coming rounds. It will pay off in the end, I'm convinced.

Finally, a question for the DS program's mainstay in FE and Peugeot's in WEC: after Carlos Tavares' departure, what about the sporting commitments of the Stellantis group's firms? Will the 2025 results determine what happens next? Are you worried?

In motorsport, the pressure is always there, always intense. No matter who's in charge of the group, the brand... Whatever the discipline, the team principal has an obligation to provide the driver with the best possible car. And the driver must get the most out of his equipment. Win or reach the podium.

In recent years, I've learned that 5th, 4th, or 3rd place is sometimes a good result, even if, like any driver, I only aim for the top. DS hasn't won a Formula E title for some time. But you should know that a lot of things are happening within the group that will radically change things. So that we can very soon achieve victories and championships again.