Jean-Éric Vergne facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean-Éric Vergne
Vergne at the 2023 Berlin ePrix
Born	Jean-Éric Serge Raymond Vergne (1990-04-25) 25 April 1990 (age 35) Pontoise, France
Formula E career
Debut season	2014–15
Current team	DS Penske
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Car no.	27 (2014–2015) 25 (2015–present)
Former teams	Andretti, Virgin, Techeetah
Starts	118
Championships	2 (2017–18, 2018–19)
Wins	11
Podiums	33
Poles	15
Fastest laps	6
Finished last season	5th (139 pts)
FIA World Endurance Championship career
Debut season	2017
Current team	Peugeot TotalEnergies
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Car no.	93
Former teams	Manor, TDS
Starts	26
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	3
Poles	0
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	8th in 2023 (HY)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	France
Active years	2012–2014
Teams	Toro Rosso
Car number	25
Entries	58 (58 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	51
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2012 Australian Grand Prix
Last entry	2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2017–2020, 2023–2024
Teams	Manor, G-Drive, Peugeot
Best finish	7th (2017)
Class wins	0
Previous series
2010–2011 2010 2010 2008–2009 2008–2009 2007	Formula Renault 3.5 British F3 GP3 Series Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault WEC French FRenault Campus
Championship titles
2010 2008 2007	British F3 French Formula Renault French FRenault Campus

Jean-Éric Serge Raymond Vergne (born 25 April 1990), also known as JEV, is a French racing driver. He races in Formula E for DS Penske and in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Peugeot. Jean-Éric is famous for winning the Formula E Championship twice. He is the only driver to have won this championship two times in a row!

Vergne became the Formula E Champion in the 2017–18 season. He won again in the 2018–19 season. Before Formula E, he raced in Formula One for Scuderia Toro Rosso from 2012 to 2014. He was also a test driver for Ferrari from 2015 to 2016. Jean-Éric won the British Formula 3 Championship in 2010.

Jean-Éric Vergne's Early Racing Days

Jean-Éric Serge Raymond Vergne was born on April 25, 1990, in Pontoise, France.

Starting with Karting

Vergne began karting at just four years old. He practiced at his dad's kart track near Paris. In 2001, he won the French "kids" karting championship. Three years later, he was second in the French Rotax Max championship. In 2005, he finished second in the European Championship. His best karting result was seventh in the KF1 World Championship in 2006.

Racing in Formula Renault

In 2007, Vergne moved to single-seater racing. He joined the French Formula Renault Campus series. He won this series easily, getting ten podium finishes in thirteen races. After this, he joined the famous Red Bull Junior Team. He also became part of the French Automobile Sport Federation (FFSA).

In 2008, Vergne raced in two championships for SG Formula. He finished sixth in the Eurocup standings. He also took fourth place in the West European Cup. In both series, he was the best rookie driver. He also won the French Formula Renault 2.0 title. In 2009, he finished second in both championships.

Moving to Formula Three

In 2010, Vergne joined the British Formula 3 Championship. He raced for the Carlin team. He won 12 races out of 24. This was enough to win the championship with six races left! He was the third Red Bull Junior Team driver to win this title.

During this year, Vergne also raced in two other Formula Three events. He finished fourth in the Masters of Formula 3. He was seventh in the Macau Grand Prix. In both races, he was the top finisher from the British series.

Racing in GP3 and Formula Renault 3.5

In 2010, Vergne also raced in some GP3 Series events. He then joined the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. He replaced Brendon Hartley at Tech 1 Racing. Even though he only raced in the last three events, he finished 8th overall. He got four podium finishes, including his first win at Silverstone.

In 2011, Vergne raced full-time in Formula Renault 3.5. He moved to the Carlin team. He won five races that season. He was very close to winning the championship. In the final race, he collided with his teammate Robert Wickens. Wickens ended up winning the title by just nine points.

Jean-Éric Vergne in Formula One

Vergne first drove a Formula One car in July 2010. He drove a Red Bull RB5 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Later that year, he tested for Toro Rosso. He set fast times during these tests.

In August 2011, Vergne took part in some practice sessions for Toro Rosso. He was fast, showing he could keep up with experienced drivers. In November 2011, he tested the championship-winning Red Bull RB7. He was the fastest driver on all three days of the test.

Driving for Toro Rosso (2012–2014)

2012 Formula One Season

Vergne driving for Toro Rosso at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix

On December 14, 2011, it was announced that Vergne would race for Toro Rosso in 2012. His teammate was Daniel Ricciardo. Vergne scored his first points in his second race in Malaysia. He finished eighth in a rainy race. At the European Grand Prix race, he caused an accident and got a penalty. He finished the season in 17th place with 16 points. He ended up ahead of his teammate Ricciardo.

2013 Formula One Season

Vergne at the 2013 Belgian Grand Prix

Vergne started the 2013 season by scoring a point in Malaysia. He then matched his best result with an eighth-place finish in Monaco. His best qualifying was seventh in Canada. He then had his best race finish, coming in sixth place. The rest of the season was tough for him. He finished 15th in the standings with 13 points.

2014 Formula One Season

Vergne at the 2014 Singapore Grand Prix

In 2014, Vergne raced for Toro Rosso again. His new teammate was Daniil Kvyat. Vergne started well in Australia, finishing eighth. However, he had to retire from several races due to technical problems. In Canada, he finished eighth. At the Hungarian Grand Prix race, he qualified eighth. He even ran as high as second place during the race. He eventually finished ninth.

At the Singapore Grand Prix race, Vergne equaled his best Formula One result. He finished sixth after a strong drive. He passed several drivers in the final laps. In Japan, he finished ninth despite starting 20th. In August, Red Bull announced that Vergne would not have a seat for 2015. He left Toro Rosso at the end of the season.

Testing for Ferrari (2015–2016)

On December 19, 2014, Vergne joined Ferrari. He became a test and development driver. He mainly worked on their racing simulator. He left Ferrari in February 2017.

Jean-Éric Vergne in Formula E

Racing for Andretti Autosport (2014–2015)

2014–15 Formula E Season

After leaving Formula One, Vergne joined the FIA Formula E Championship. He signed with Andretti Autosport. He made his debut in the third race of the season in Uruguay. He immediately took pole position. He finished second in Long Beach. He also finished third in the first race of the London ePrix. He ended his first Formula E season in seventh place overall.

Racing for DS Virgin Racing (2015–2016)

2015–16 Formula E Season

Vergne in his DS Virgin Racing Formula E car

In August 2015, Vergne joined the DS Virgin Racing team. He raced alongside Sam Bird. He finished ninth in the championship that season.

Racing for Techeetah (2016–2022)

2016–17 Formula E Season

In July 2016, Vergne joined the new Techeetah team. He helped the team get their first podiums and their first win. This win happened at the 2016–17 season finale in Montréal.

2017–18 Formula E Season: Champion!

Vergne continued with Techeetah for the 2017–18 season. He won his second Formula E race in Santiago. He then won again in Punta del Este. He kept getting good results. Vergne won the championship with one race left in New York. He became the fourth different champion in four seasons.

2018–19 Formula E Season: Back-to-Back Champion!

For the 2018–19 season, Vergne stayed with Techeetah. He won three races: in Sanya, Monaco, and Bern. He became champion for the second year in a row. This made him Formula E's first ever two-time champion!

2019–20 Formula E Season

In the 2019–20 season, Vergne raced with António Félix da Costa. After some tough races, he got his first podium in Marrakesh. The season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When racing restarted in Berlin, Vergne got two more podiums. He won his first race of the season in Berlin. He finished third in the championship standings.

2020–21 Formula E Season

Vergne stayed with DS Techeetah for the 2020-21 season. He won the first race in Rome. He also took second place in New York on day one. However, he had some tough races with no points. He finished the season in 10th place.

2021–22 Formula E Season

Vergne during the 2022 Mexico City ePrix, where he finished in third place

Vergne continued with DS Techeetah for his sixth season. He got points in Diriyah and finished third in Mexico. He took two pole positions in Rome and Jakarta. He finished second in both those races. He also got two more podiums in Monaco and Berlin. He finished the season in fourth place overall.

Racing for DS Penske (2023–)

2022–23 Formula E Season

Vergne driving at the 2023 Berlin ePrix

In October 2022, Vergne joined the new DS Penske team. He raced with the current champion, Stoffel Vandoorne. After a slow start, Vergne bounced back. He won his first race of the season in Hyderabad. He defended his lead against Nick Cassidy to win. He almost won again in Cape Town, finishing second.

2023–24 Formula E Season

Vergne at the 2024 Tokyo ePrix

Vergne continued with DS Penske for the 2023–24 Formula E season. He finished sixth in the first race in Mexico. He became the second driver in history to score 1000 points in Formula E. After a seventh-place finish at Misano, he broke the record for most points ever scored in Formula E. He also broke the record for most pole positions in Formula E. He got pole in Diriyah, Shanghai, and Portland.

2024–25 Formula E Season

He will continue to race for DS Penske in the 2024–25 Formula E World Championship. His new teammate will be Maximilian Günther.

Racing in the World Endurance Championship

Vergne joined the Peugeot Sport factory team in 2022. He now races in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Before this, he raced in the LMP2 class. He drove for teams like CEFC Manor TRS Racing and G-Drive Racing. He also competes in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Jean-Éric Vergne's Life Outside Racing

In 2018, Vergne partnered with Veloce Esports. They co-founded Veloce Racing, a racing team that competes in Extreme E.

Jean-Éric also plays the piano. He speaks several languages. Besides his native French, he also speaks English, Spanish, and Italian. He considers his former teammate, André Lotterer, a close friend.

Career Highlights

Jean-Éric Vergne has had an impressive racing career. Here are some of his main achievements:

• 2007: Won the French Formula Renault Campus championship.
• 2008: Won the French Formula Renault 2.0 title.
• 2010: Won the British Formula 3 International Series.
• 2011: Finished 2nd in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
• 2012–2014: Competed in Formula One for Toro Rosso.
• 2015–2016: Was a test driver for Ferrari in Formula One.
• 2017–18: Became the Formula E Champion.
• 2018–19: Won the Formula E Championship again, becoming the first two-time champion.
• 2018: Finished 2nd in the European Le Mans Series - LMP2.
• 2019–20: Finished 3rd in the Formula E Championship.
• 2023: Won a Formula E race in Hyderabad.
• 2023–24: Broke the record for most points and most pole positions in Formula E history.

Images for kids

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  Vergne at the penultimate round of the 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season, at Paul Ricard

• 

  Vergne during pre-season testing, for Toro Rosso, at Jerez in February 2012

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  Vergne at the 2012 United States Grand Prix

• 

  Vergne competing at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans

See also

In Spanish: Jean-Éric Vergne para niños