EVANS CHARGES FROM BACK OF THE GRID TO VICTORY IN BRAZIL AS GEN3 EVO ERA DEBUTS IN DRAMATIC FASHION
Jaguar TCS Racing ace pulls off the unlikeliest of triumphs as fellow front-runners come unstuck in incident-strewn São Paulo opener.
There is perhaps tens of hundreds of jaguars in Brazil, however one specifically went on the prowl in São Paulo at this time (7 December), as Mitch Evans kick-started his problem for a maiden ABB FIA Method E World Championship crown with an historic success within the Season 11 curtain-raiser.
The Jaguar TCS Racing star started the São Paulo E-Prix from twenty second and final on the grid following a problem that left him stranded on-track in qualifying – however that solely set the scene for one of many biggest tales Method E has ever written.
Evans – twice a championship runner-up within the all-electric single-seater sequence – gained seven positions on the opening lap alone. From there, the mix of an audacious technique, a dedicated efficiency behind the wheel and a slice of fine fortune enabled him to scythe by way of the sphere as much as third by the halfway level, behind long-time chief Oliver Rowland (Nissan Method E Workforce) and Jaguar stablemate Nick Cassidy.
The motion was halted at two-thirds distance, when Jake Dennis’ Andretti Method E automotive pulled off with the purple mild illuminated – costing the previous champion a shot at a podium end. The stoppage was additionally unhealthy information for Rowland, who had simply reclaimed the highest spot from TAG Heuer Porsche Method E Workforce’s António Félix da Costa after deploying his second Assault Mode.
The interruption not solely value the British driver his remaining three minutes of additional energy, however with the order being counted again a lap, it meant he would take the re-start from second fairly than first. Undeterred, Rowland repeated his stellar launch from the unique begin to instantly seize the lead. His pleasure, nonetheless, can be short-lived.
As he held what appeared to be a snug three-second margin over his closest pursuer, the Yorkshireman was handed a drive-through penalty for overpower, with fellow Nissan-powered drivers Norman Nato, Sam Chook and Taylor Barnard having fallen foul of the identical offence earlier on.
That dropped Rowland out of rivalry for victory and seemingly arrange an all-Jaguar duel for glory as Cassidy led Evans, the duo taking full benefit of being the one drivers within the prime ten to nonetheless have Assault Mode left to make use of when the purple flag had flown.
With seven laps remaining, Evans pulled out of his team-mate’s slipstream to grab the lead, and da Costa had equally displaced Cassidy for second when the race was paused once more as a consequence of a conflict that left pole-sitter Pascal Wehrlein’s Porsche upside-down at Flip Six.
A 3-way squeeze between the German, Cassidy and Maximilian Günther – making his debut for DS Penske – put the latter within the wall at Flip 5 earlier than additional contact dramatically ended Wehrlein’s E-Prix, with the defending champion fortunately exiting his automotive unscathed.
That prompted a four-lap dash to the chequered flag as soon as the motion resumed, with da Costa making an attempt each which method to pressure Evans right into a mistake – the pair each chasing their thirteenth profession win. Recollections of Season 10 in São Paulo – when he had misplaced the lead simply two corners from the end line – should certainly have been on the New Zealander’s thoughts, however this time, he wouldn’t be denied.
Absorbing intense strain, Evans’ defence was inch-perfect and error-free, with the outcome making him the primary driver to triumph in Method E from the again of the grid and elevating him to equal-first on the all-time winners record, getting his title bid underway in convincing vogue.
The runner-up spoils for da Costa represented the Season 6 champion’s twenty fourth profession rostrum, with NEOM McLaren Method E Workforce celebrating third and fourth locations for Taylor Barnard and Sam Chook, on the scene of the British outfit’s breakthrough victory 9 months in the past.
Already the championship’s youngest-ever points-scorer, 20-year-old Barnard duly broke one other file because the youngest Method E podium-finisher in solely his fourth begin. Mahindra Racing equally loved a powerful outcome, with Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries winding up fifth and sixth respectively. Sébastien Buemi positioned seventh for Envision Racing, with CUPRA KIRO’s Dan Ticktum, DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne and Maserati MSG Racing’s Stoffel Vandoorne rounding out the highest ten.
The marketing campaign continues with spherical two at Mexico Metropolis’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on 11 January, 2025.
Mitch Evans, No. 9, TCS Jaguar Racing, mentioned:
“To be sincere I’m simply making an attempt to course of all the things! Clearly I wasn’t anticipating this after misfortune in qualifying, not getting any laps and beginning on the again. I used to be simply hoping to choose up some factors and begin the season, however discovered myself up 18 locations on the primary lap and was within the combine fairly shortly. Then my focus shifted, pondering possibly I can get myself some extra factors, possibly a podium, however I additionally had some success with some folks getting harm in some crashes. Clearly it’s nice to see Pascal [Wehrlein] stroll away from that accident. I needed to get somewhat bit fortunate – it was a loopy race, very exhausting to handle the technique and know what to do at what time. Full credit score to everybody at Jaguar – this was a candy one.”
António Félix da Costa, No.13 Porsche Racing, mentioned:
“We’ve had a shocker of the final two years, so it was a troublesome method to kick issues off. However we had a powerful automotive as a workforce, a powerful package deal, testing has been good, we’ve been dependable and I’m comfortable to come back dwelling with a podium. It was shut with Mitch for a win, however properly carried out to him coming from final. That’s an achievement, doesn’t matter the way you get it carried out. Lastly, I’m glad to see Pascal [Wehrlein] is okay. It’s a reminder that what we do is harmful and we’d like that respect between all of us. I do know Nick [Cassidy] is a good man, but it surely’s a watch opener for all of us.”
Taylor Barnard, No.5, NEOM McLaren Method E Workforce, mentioned:
“I’ve not written a podium speech! Particularly after the beginning of that race, I took off my entrance wing and needed to change it, come into the pits and I had a Drive-By way of Penalty sadly. I don’t know what to say. The workforce did a completely superb job with the second ATTACK MODE technique, it made it straightforward for me and Sam [Bird] to move and rise up to the entrance and we each did an important job. He protected me on the finish so because of him for the good teamwork. I didn’t anticipate to be standing right here!”
