F1 Team Approached Vergne Over 2019 Seat

Reigning Formula E champion,

Jean-Eric Vergne has reportedly been approached by an F1 team regarding a race seat for the 2019 season. The 28-year old raced in F1 between 2012 and 2014 with Toro Rosso. But he was later dropped from the Red Bull programme. This prompted the Frenchman to move into Formula E.

JEV sealed his maiden Formula E drivers’ championship last month in the penultimate round. He grabbed four race wins for Techeetah during the 2017/18 campaign, as well as scoring a record number of points for a single season.

The Frenchman was also included a provisional LMP2 class victory at Le Mans. Since then, a number of team have contacted Vergne. He even revealed that “a Formula 1 team” had contacted him regarding a race drive for 2019.

“It’s a possibility. It’s funny how the world of motorsport changes,” Vergne said.

“When you change your state of mind, when you change a little bit how you work, you see the results straight away. You see it in the results, and you see it in how people look at you and how they speak to you. When you start representing a brand what you are, it changes a lot of things.

“Three years ago, I don’t think anybody would have called me from F1 and said: ‘Hey, do you have a contract for next season?’ So it’s great.”

However, Vergne was mum on the identity of the team that had approached him. He hopes that a change in the sport in the future would encourage a more level playing field. Especially one similar to what he experienced in Formula E.

“Because it is like this, maybe Formula 1 wants to change that a little bit,” Vergne said.

“That’s the good thing about Formula E. With our team, it’s like if Marussia would have won in Formula 1. It would be impossible in F1. But maybe that can change. Maybe some teams can raise their games and start fighting for wins again.

“It’s something that would interest me, to have another new, big challenge. This time, I think I have all the tools at my disposal to do a good job in F1.”

Vergne was part of the Red Bull motorsport programme alongside Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo went on to join Red Bull’s senior F1 team and become a multiple-race winner. In the mean time, Vergne left F1 at the end of 2014 and was replaced by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen.