Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans claimed his second FIA Formula E win of the season after a frantic last lap battle with Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.
The Kiwi, starting third on the grid, kept out of trouble and maintained his interest throughout the peloton race to snatch victory off Wehrlein on the final lap. Team-mate Nick Cassidy drove brilliantly from further down once again to finish third, but felt aggrieved at missing-out on the win, having had more energy than his rivals.
Oliver Rowland was fourth, with Antonio Felix da Costa fifth, and Jake Dennis sixth. Pole-sitter Jean-Éric Vergne could not maintain his challenge in seventh, with Nyck de Vries driving very well to finish eighth, Sebastien Buemi ninth and Stoffel Vandoorne tenth.
HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED
At the start, Vergne and Rowland got away slowly, but the DS Penske held the lead, with Rowland dropping behind Wehrlein and Evans. Da Costa looked immediately racey, taking Rowland for fourth and then Evans for third at the start of lap two. Frijns also looked keen to get a move on, moving up to seventh and then to fifth.
At the start of lap three, a number of drivers, including Wehrlein, opted for Attack Mode. Frijns then moved four places at once to take the lead, with Rowland down in eighth. The Dutchman would take Attack Mode, dropping him back to fourth. Cassidy found himself in 14th, as a rhythm began to form amid the peloton.
Wehrlein took a second Attack Mode on lap six, handing his team-mate the lead, with Frijns just behind in third. Da Costa would himself go for Attack Mode a lap later, reversing the roles and handing Wehrlein the lead back, and was quickly swamped by Evans and Vergne, with Dennis making good progress, working his way into sixth place ahead of Nato.
Dennis then made his way past da Costa for fourth, with Frijns dropping to 11th after activating Attack Mode, as de Vries moved up to sixth. The Dutchman took the lead at the end of lap 10, with Rowland fourth, ahead of Dennis and da Costa. De Vries, told on the radio by his team that they did not want him to lead, quickly relinquished first to Wehrlein, with Evans soon taking second.
At half-distance, it was Evans who led, followed by Wehrlein and Vergne, with da Costa and de Vries not far behind, with Frijns maintaining his interest. Cassidy was starting to make moves similar to his Berlin win, now up to sixth after languishing in the midfield for much of the race. Müller also looked to be on for some points, maintaining a good battery percentage in 10th.
On lap 17, Edo Mortara was forced to retire the second Mahindra after damage to the front suspension, caused by contact with Jake Hughes, who had, in turn, been forced wider by Max Günther. At the front, the Porsches maintained a 1-2 with Evans stalking their every move in third. He would soon bet in second ahead of da Costa, whilst team-mate Cassidy moved into fifth.
Dennis took his final Attack Mode on lap 22, dropping only one place to fifth. Frijns’ promising race was compromised after spinning wide, dropping him to 16th, as Günther, despite his involvement in the Mortara retirement, was now in the points in ninth. Dennis was soon up to third ahead of Cassidy and da Costa, and looked keen to get past Wehrlein, as Evans held his lead.
Rowland took de Vries for sixth at turn one, as Cassidy, one percent of battery up on those near him, went by Dennis. The battle for first was fraught with Wehrlein taking the lead off-track whilst duelling with Evans, leaving the Jaguar under threat from his team-mate. Lap 27, and Evans tried desperately to get his lead back, trying everything to take Wehrlein, but the German refused to budge. Behind the main leaders, Rowland pushed his way past Evans for fifth.
On the final lap, Evans look the lead, with Cassidy three percent of battery up on him and Wehrlein. Cassidy tried to muscle past Wehrlein at turn six, but could not find a way past. In the final sector, Cassidy, more and more desperate, touched Wehrlein in the final chicane, but could not find a way through, with Wehrlein taking to the grass defending his position. Evans took the chequered flag with Wehrlein second, Cassidy third, with Rowland stealing fourth off da Costa on the line, who was held-up by the Cassidy-Wehrlein tussle.
As the Jaguar team celebrated Evans’ win, a furious Cassidy pleaded for answers over the radio, asking his silent engineers: “Can someone talk to me?!” as well as venting his fury over Wehrlein’s defence of second position.
For Evans, the win is his second of the season and the 12th of his career, showing that despite the points deficit, he is not quite yet out of the title fight. Wehrlein’s second place leaves him 13 points adrift of Cassidy at the top of the standings.
