Berlin E-Prix 1: Taylor Barnard scores points for DS-Penske

– The Formula E World Championship returned after a six-week break with the traditional Berlin E-Prix. The German capital is the only venue that has been on the calendar every year since the debut season 2014/15. For the DS-Penske team, the start at Tempelhofer Feld was solid, with rookie Taylor Barnard in particular impressing.

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Already on Friday, the good form of the DS E-Tense FE25 became apparent. In bright sunshine, Barnard secured the best time in the first free practice, which also marked a new track record. His teammate Maximilian Günther finished in fourth place. On Saturday morning, the drivers kept up the pace and finished fourth and fifth in the second practice session.

In qualifying, it was tight with rising asphalt temperatures. Barnard missed out on advancing to the quarterfinals in Group A by just one hundredth of a second. Günther finished sixth in his group. Thus, the duo started the first race of the weekend from tenth and eleventh positions.

Strategy games in Tempelhof

The race over 39 laps and a distance of 92.58 kilometers was characterized by strategic directives. Due to the double-header format, the regulations for this Saturday included the so-called “Pitboost.”

This is a mandatory pit stop of at least 34 seconds for a quick charge, carried out less for energy reasons and more for strategic ones. Additionally, the drivers had only one Attack Mode available, lasting six minutes.

After a successful start, Günther and Barnard initially stayed in the leading group between positions one and five. Midway through the race, DS-Penske implemented the pit stop strategy. Barnard came in for service on lap 19, Günther followed one lap later. This time offset was intended by the team to maximize their chances of success.

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Points for Barnard, Günther narrowly beaten

Barnard activated his Attack Mode only on lap 30, later than most of his competitors. This maneuver allowed the Brit to gain two positions compared to his starting place and cross the finish line in eighth.

Günther fought for the last points position until the final corner but missed the top 10 by a few tenths of a second and finished the race in his original eleventh place.

On Sunday, the drivers return to the track in Berlin for the second race. The challenge changes slightly: the distance is shortened to 37 laps, the “Pitboost” is omitted, and the drivers must instead activate two Attack Modes, each lasting four minutes.

Transparency note: This article was made possible with the help of a production cost subsidy from DS Automobiles. There was no editorial influence from DS on the content.

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