Hyderabad E-Prix: Vergne and DS Penske back in the winner's circle

Jean-Eric Vergne's win in Saturday's inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix turned around DS Penske's fortunes after the team's rough start to its 2023 season.

Vergne carved his way to the top of the field after a spirited drive in the action-packed event to cross the checkered flag ahead of the Envision Racing pair of Nick Cassidy and Sebastian Buemi.

However, a post-race penalty demoted the Swiss driver in the final standings, with Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa inheriting the final spot on the podium.

Poleman Mitch Evans led the field at the outset and there was no commotion among the runners despite a track littered with dirt and dust.

The Jaguar charger immediately set about maximizing energy as the opening laps unfolded in an orderly fashion. But a mishap by Edoardo Mortara livened things up a bit to the detriment of the Maserati driver whose damaged front wing eventually fell off as he drifted down the order.

Up ahead Buemi moved past Vergne and Evans to take the lead, but the Swiss briefly ceded the baton to Vergne when he took his first 50kW boost while Evans held on to third. The order among the top-two was reversed when the DS Penske driver took his round of Attack Mode on lap 10.

On lap 13, fireworks erupted when Jaguar's Sam Bird attempted to overhaul Sacha Fenestraz for fourth. It was an optimistic move however for the Briton who couldn't decelerate fast enough at the Turn 3 hairpin to avoid collecting Evans, his own teammate!

The catastrophic Jaguar smash-up left Maximilian Guenther and Fenestraz as unwilling victims, while Vergne led the way.

But the Frenchman had his work cut out to fend off Envision Racing's Nick Cassidy, especially as the Kiwi had a few more points of energy compared to his rival in the race entered its closing stages.

However, Vergne held his own and was hell bent on securing his eleventh career win on Formula E

Track limits were a factor in the Hyderabad E-Prix, with multiple drivers receiving penalties for going over the boundaries.

The Safety Car also mixed things up as it bunched up the field, with René Rast hitting Jake Dennis at the hairpin of Turn 3 and ruining their races.

Like last time out in Diriyah, some drivers took advantage of others running low on energy towards the end of the race.

Pascal Wehrlein increased his lead in the championship with a fourth-place finish, while Jake Dennis was unable to score points.

Porsche's third and fourth place finish also allowed the works outfit to overtake its customer Andretti in the teams' championship.

Formula E will return to action in Cape Town, South Africa on February 25.

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