A leopard may not be able to change its spots, but a Techeetah can have them forcibly altered. One of Formula E’s most successful teams, with two teams’ championships and three drivers’ titles to its name, the Chinese-owned squad has lost its DS Automobiles partnership and powertrain supply to Dragon Penske Autosport. The American team hence becomes known as DS Penske for the foreseeable future, as Techeetah’s future remains distinctly unclear.
Wednesday’s announcement of the DS-Penske (not to be confused with Team Penske, run by Jay Penske’s father and motorsport deity Roger) was long in the making. It was known for some time among the Formula E paddock that DS would be embarking on a new relationship with the back-of-the-grid Dragon Penske squad, and the signings of new champion Stoffel Vandoorne and two-time title winner Jean-Eric Vergne were imminent too. Yet, it’s been one of the last pieces of the silly season jigsaw puzzle to remain in the box, as it seemingly took a while to link all four corners up first.
