2023-07-13 10:54:00
In Portland, two weeks ago, the DS-Penske team was sanctioned at the end of the qualification. Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne had been forced to start from the pit lane because the team led by Jay Penske had used an ‘RFID’ (Radio Frequency Identification) reader installed in the pit lane to read the code- bars inscribed on the tires of competing cars. However, the regulations prohibit this process and, moreover, the teams entered in Formula E are absolutely prohibited from installing any device whatsoever in this area of the circuit.
Beyond the penalty, the legality of the process and the place where the system was used, it is above all the succession of two bulletins from the FIA which has cast doubt on the intentions of the Franco-American team. The first bulletin mentions a device that has “the ability to collect data from all cars regarding tires fitted by scanning barcodes”. In the second bulletin, the phrase “regarding tires fitted by scanning barcodes” was removed and replaced with “was able to collect live data from all cars”.
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While Formula E is back in Europe this weekend for the E-prix de Rome, we spoke regarding it with Thomas Chevaucher, head of the Formula E program for the Stellantis group (which notably includes DS Automobiles and Maserati) .
Thomas Chevaucher, first of all, why so much mystery surrounding tires?
TC: “In Formula E, we are entitled to two or three sets of tires per event (two during meetings with a single race on the programme, as was the case in Portland) which we use as we wish. The majority of teams use photographers to find out which set of tires is used by which car during free practice. As the tires are very sensitive to temperature, everyone tries to get the best possible reading of the performance of each car. using the barcodes written on the tires, we can therefore know who has done how many laps with which tire. This is a rather time-consuming method and the team had the idea of using the RFID chip installed in the tire by the FIA to read this barcode. Basically, it’s the same technology as locks in supermarkets or for automatic checkouts.
Cassidy, a spectacular comeback: the summary of the Portland race
However, a team is not allowed to install anything in the pits…
TC: It is specified in the regulations that it is forbidden to place any device in the pit lane. In Portland, it turns out that this pit lane was not in front of the garages, but behind. For the device to work, it absolutely had to be in the pit lane and not in the garage, and that is where the error was made, which we do not dispute. There was therefore a device that reads the numbers of the tires placed in the pit lane, which is prohibited. More than a will to cheat, it is clearly a clumsiness of the team which did not verify the legality of what they were doing. Does it give a huge advantage to use this equipment rather than a photographer who will photograph the tires and identify them? everyone is free to think what they want… it only saves time, which can be an advantage.
You were suspected of spying on your rivals…
TC: There is a problem with the interpretation that has been made of it. This device was considered telemetry which consists of collecting data regarding the car while it is driving. I find it a bit far-fetched but I can understand it because the tire number is information that comes from the car and this device was collecting this information when the car is rolling in the pit lane. It is under this look that the FIA considered that it was regarding telemetry. There have been rumors that we are trying to find out the temperatures or the temperatures of the tires of our competitors, which is totally impossible with the type of device that has been used.
It feels like a lot of things got mixed up in this story, right?
TC: There are several subjects in this “case”. First, was a mistake made? The answer is yes. Was this error handled fairly? I think it was a bit oversized for a simple mistake. Was there a real will to cheat and a real advantage? I think we have to be reasonable and understand what it was all regarding. DS maintains very close relations with the FIA on a very large number of subjects, of course, and I personally had discussions with FIA interlocutors on this subject, even if it is a “sporting” subject and not not “technical”. All of this has absolutely no connection or impact to the performance of the car, so it is very clearly a subject for the Penske team. Nevertheless, the fact of having been downgraded and the treatment that followed this announcement degraded the image of the team and therefore the image of the brand. We can completely accept being told that we made a mistake. What we hardly accept is that we say we are cheaters, I find that exaggerated.
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And with Penske, what was the nature of the exchanges?
TC: We had exchanges with Penske but we settle our affairs as a family… There was no desire to cheat either from DS Automobiles or from DS-Penske, but it’s still a big mess. We spent a lot of time and energy to communicate on what is only a mistake. Mistakes, there are plenty of others. I have memories of competitors who got the engine numbers wrong. Nothing says that it was indeed an administrative error and that they did not change engines without telling anyone. It was put down to an administrative error and we moved on. However, changing the engine without telling anyone can also be considered a big problem. In our case, it was not described in the same way by saying that DS-Penske had made a mistake. Now that we’ve said what we thought, we’ll move on, there’s a championship to play for and even if we’re not in a good position, we’re not going to give up.
Jean-Eric Vergne, 5th in the drivers’ classification, will approach the last 4 races 57 points behind the leader, while there are still 116 to be attributed… Are you going to Rome hoping for a ‘comeback’?
TC: We go there thinking that the best way to get back on track is to win races. So we’re going to start by trying to win races and then we’ll see where that leads us. Anyway, our fate is not necessarily in our hands. What is certain is that if we are not able to win races, we will never be able to win the championship. We aim to win at least one, or even several races by the end of the season, and Formula E, we know that it is very volatile, so anything is possible.”
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