Virgin Racing has announced a new partnership with the DS brand ahead of the second Formula E season in which the constructors will be allowed to develop their own powertrains.
The DS brand produces a range of cars sold through the Citroen network around the world. From the start of the 2015/2016 Formula E season, the outfit will be known as the DS Virgin Racing team.
Speaking about the new partnership, Virgin Racing’s team principal, Alex Tai, said: “Our collaboration with the DS brand is not only a partnership between two amazing brands, but is a great opportunity to showcase our intent of winning the FIA Formula E Championship. In addition, it highlights our ambitions to be at the forefront of pioneering new technology in Formula E to aid the technology transition to road cars.”
So far in the inaugural season of Formula E, Virgin Racing has taken one race victory with Sam Bird at the Putrajaya ePrix and currently sits sixth in the team standings.
Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that Virgin Racing has found a partner of the calibre of the DS brand. In season one, Formula E has delivered on its vision of creating exciting, fan-friendly racing spectacles where almost any team can win; now I look forward to building on this in season two and with our new partner DS, aiming to win multiple championships.”
Yves Bonnefont, CEO of the DS brand, said: “We fully share the values of Formula E: avant-guard technology and proximity to the public. The experiences that we will accumulate thanks to the races are key factors for us in the improvement of our technology directly serving our customers.”
Citroën’s standalone DS Automobiles brand has achieved more than 550,000 sales since its launch in June 2014.
