Formula E debut in Portland and DS-Penske hopes

For the fourth time in the 2023 season, Formula E will drive a new track: Portland will convey a different image of the racing series than it is used to.

After the two races in Jakarta (Indonesia), the field of the 2023 Formula E World Championship traveled to the West Coast of the USA to host the first-ever Portland E-Prix on Saturday. With five races remaining and just 37 points behind Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein, Jean-Eric Vergne and DS-Pensky are still in the running for the world title.

As they have done three times since the start of the season, the drivers of the electric single-seater racing series will once again take to a new track. It is also the first time the racing series has visited the Northwestern United States.

The city of Portland, located in the US state of Oregon, was not chosen randomly. It is often cited as an example of environmentalism – values ​​that Formula E also tries to convey.

As such, Portland International Raceway is not entirely new as it is a permanent race track used by several American racing series including the IndyCar Series.

Formula E has twice walked the lanes of IndyCar in the past, racing in Long Beach, California, in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons. The electric racing series then moved to the east coast of the United States, specifically to New York City. However, there is no guest there this season.

The track in Portland is 3,190 kilometers long, has 12 corners and is generally fast. But there are also a couple of hard braking areas and a slower section where you need to be agile. The course was last updated at the end of the last decade.

The track in Portland is wide and the surface is in good condition. Slightly sloping and surrounded by green areas, it will present a different picture of Formula E, which is usually known for its urban environments.

DS-Penske, Porsche and Jaguar go head to head

Among the teams with the most points in the 2023 Formula E season on the new circuits is French-American team DS-Penske with 75 points. Collected on race weekends in Hyderabad (India), Cape Town (South Africa) and São Paulo (Brazil).

Porsche (70 points) is close to DS-Penske in this respect, while the Jaguar-backed Envision team scores 62 points at this new three-track circuit in Formula E. These two teams lead the team classification ahead of the Jaguar works team and the Porsche Andretti customer team. DS-Penske completes the top five.

Two weeks into the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Peugeot, Jean-Eric Vergne intends to score vital points to maintain his title contender status ahead of the Rome double (July 15/16).

With five races left in the season, DS-Penske Frenchman is 12 points behind Mitch Evans (Jaguar) while standings leader Pascal Wehrlein is just 37 points behind. The top three places in the table are within six points.

When you consider that up to 29 points can be awarded in a single race (25 for a win, three for a pole, and one for the fastest race lap), anything is still possible for many title contenders. It should also be noted that American races have often been going positively for DS Cars since the championship’s inception.

Sam Bird took pole for DS-Virgin at Long Beach 2016. At New York 2017, DS took two poles (Alex Lane and Bird) plus two wins from Bird. Jean-Eric Vergne takes the title win at New York 2018 for DS-Techeetah and at New York 2019 for DS Cars.

Do these memories bode well for Portland? Nobody has a crystal ball. But it is clear that the pressure is building and every point counts now in the fight for the Formula E title in 2023.