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Techeetah reveals DS-powered Gen2 2018/19 Formula E car

Techeetah has revealed its DS Automobiles-powered season five Formula E car as well as a new factory in Versailles.

The Chinese team became DS's works outfit ahead of the 2018/19 season, having previously run as a Renault customer squad.

Techeetah will again field Jean-Eric Vergne - the reigning FE drivers' champion - and Andre Lotterer as its race line-up, while James Rossiter and Guan Yu Zhou will continue as development drivers.

"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 Jean-Eric Vergne and his outstanding team-mate from season four, Andre Lotterer will both continue with the team this season.

"With Jean-Eric and Andre as our drivers and James Rossiter and Zhou Guan Yu as our development drivers this year, we believe that we have an incredibly strong driver line-up and we are incredibly excited to go racing."

DS Performance Director, Xavier Mestelan Pinon, added: "We've been busy behind the scenes developing the DS E-TENSE FE19 and it's great to have the full force of Techeetah on board so that we can continue to optimise our package for the 2018/2019 season and beyond.

"In addition to a strong driver line-up, we've also got an incredibly talented engineering and technical pool at hand - a combination of the best of both sides to create a fantastic DS Techeetah technical team."

Now it is running as a works outfit, Techeetah has been able to complete the 15 days of private testing allocated to DS as an FE manufacturer.

As a privateer entrant last season, when it finished just two points behind Audi in the teams' championship, Techeetah could only take part in three days of official pre-season testing ahead of the 2017/18 campaign and consequently felt it only began to hit its stride following the inaugural FE rookie test at Marrakech.

"I'm incredibly happy to continue another year with the team," said Vergne.

"After winning the 2017/2018 drivers' title and now with the addition of DS this season, we are even stronger, and it should be a great year.

"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."

Lotterer highlighted the benefits of Techeetah's new proximity to DS's operation.

"The DS E-TENSE FE19 doesn't just look fantastic, it's also brilliant to drive," he said.

"I got the taste for success in Formula E last season and I'm keen for more this year.

"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."

Zdroj: autosport.com