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DS Virgin confirms single-motor set-up for season three

DS Virgin has confirmed its season-three Formula E challenger utilises only a single motor, marking a radical departure from the team’s previous concept.

Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team

Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team

John Rowley

José Maria Lopez, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team
Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team
José Maria Lopez, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team
Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team
Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team
Jose Maria Lopez, DS Virgin Racing
José Maria Lopez, DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team

The Anglo-French squad utilised twin motors in season two, but struggled to keep up with pacesetting teams Renault e.dams and Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport as it grappled with weight issues.

Despite this, Sam Bird – who remains with the team for season three alongside new teammate Jose Maria Lopez – still managed to achieve victory in Buenos Aires on his way to fourth overall.

DS Performance Director Xavier Mestelan, however, has confirmed a new single-motor set-up as part of total design overhaul that has seen the team “start from scratch” for its new DSV-02 machine.

“We designed a brand new car: new gearbox, new motor, new MGU, everything is new,” Mestelan told Motorsport.com.

“So for us, it’s a little bit more difficult compared to other teams, who have just adapted their cars from last year. Because we started from scratch, we have more to do to prepare than other teams.

"It’s very difficult to reduce the gap in one year, but if we change everything, it’s because we understand better the technology, we understand more how to increase efficiency of the car, how to manage energy during the race.

“When we designed the car last year, we had only just arrived in the series, we didn’t spend enough time to prepare it. Virgin made the choice of technology for season two.

“For season three we spent the time we needed to make all the simulations, to understand what we need to do on the car, so we had more time.”

Asked if the new machine used just a single motor, he replied: “It’s a single motor, yes.”

Mestelan also clarified that Bird’s new race engineer is Remi Decorzent, who moves across from Renault e.dams following Patrick Coorey’s move to Jaguar.

Australian Coorey will engineer Adam Carroll’s car in season three.

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