Image: Duncan White
Stoffel Vandoorne of DS Penske believed that his opportunity to win the Monaco E-Prix was ruined by the second deployment of the Safety Car towards the end of the race.
The Belgian driver secured third place, marking his first podium finish since his championship-winning year in 2022, and his first for Penske. However, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated as he believed victory was within his reach. When Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing executed their team strategy to secure a 1-2 victory, Vandoorne knew his chance was gone.
“That’s P3 for @svandoorne in Monaco 🇲🇨⚡️Mega drive!!! #DSPENSKE#dsperformance#abbformulae #motorsport #formulae #MonacoEPrix pic.twitter.com/cxsmnCbCjY
“I think we had a successful qualifying session,” Vandoorne stated. “We earned our position in P2, which was our target. In the race, we managed the first part well.
“It was satisfying to take the lead and control the race. I executed my first Attack Mode perfectly and didn’t lose any positions. Even after the first Safety Car, things were looking good. However, it was the second Safety Car that cost us the race.
“I did more or less the same, but the gap was slightly smaller, so we lost the lead to both Jaguars. Since they were ahead, they could play games and create gaps for each other, allowing them to take Attack Modes for free. For me, it felt like I was just driving in circles and bringing the car home.”
Penske has shown improved performance since the arrival of technical expert Phil Charles from Jaguar. In both Misano and Monaco, both Vandoorne and teammate Jean-Éric Vergne demonstrated impressive pace in qualifying, putting them in direct competition with many rivals. While Vandoorne acknowledges the car’s strong performance over one lap, he recognizes the need for improvement in the races.
“Our performance in qualifying has been consistently strong.
“We can secure high positions on the grid at many events, which definitely helps. However, the races remain a challenge for us, with varying levels of success.
“We are fully aware that there is still work to be done. Let’s see how we fare in Berlin.”