Into the deep end. For three days (24, 25 and 27 October), the 11 teams taking part will be able to observe each other and gauge the work carried out by each of them during the off-season.
The drivers' market has been fairly active but DS Penske is one of the teams that has managed to keep an unchanged line-up. And what a line-up it is!
On the one hand, Jean-Éric Vergne, a historic player in the series and the only driver to have won the championship twice in nine seasons (2018 and 2019), and on the other, Stoffel Vandoorne, world champion in 2022 (with Mercedes) before joining DS Automobiles in its electric adventure.
This year's test days in Valencia will also be an opportunity for DS Penske to put its new reserve driver, Robert Shwartzman, through his paces.
The 24-year-old Russian-Israeli driver, Scuderia Ferrari’s reserve driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season, will once again take the wheel of the DS E-TENSE FE 23, following his fifth place in the Berlin rookie test last April.
"I'm delighted to have the opportunity to drive for DS Penske again," said Shwartzman.
"I like the team, where everyone is friendly and welcoming. My first contact with Formula E was really special in Berlin, where I felt at ease all day. I'm very curious and I can't wait to get back behind the wheel here in Valencia.”
Performances to be confirmed
Since the end of season nine last July, all the teams have been working tirelessly to improve the new Gen 3, the electric single-seaters introduced at the start of season nine.
The performance gap to be found lies mainly in the car's electronic and IT management, which has been put to the test during the various test sessions held over the last few months.
These were moments of intense work, which led to a number of changes, the effectiveness of which we'll know more about at the end of the week.
"For the moment, I don't know exactly what all the changes we've put in place will bring," said Vergne.
"The big unknown is also the level of performance achieved by the other teams over the last few months, and how we will compare with them.”
The various tests on the Valencia circuit will provide the beginnings of an answer but will not allow us to establish a clear-cut hierarchy, as the Iberian track does not correspond to the standards of a city E-Prix.
What is certain, however, is that season 10 - the ninth for DS Automobiles - will be a hard-fought and challenging one, with third-generation electric single-seaters in top form.
