Mitch Evans leads historic Formula E one-two for Jaguar in Berlin E-Prix
Mitch Evans took victory in the frantic opening leg of the Formula E Berlin double-header.
The Kiwi made history as he lead home teammate Sam Bird for the Jaguar TCS Racing team's first ever one-two finish in Formula E.
With the powerful slipstream around the Berlin Templehof circuit, it seemed no driver wanted to lead the race, with a record-setting 190 overtakes, 53 lead changes, and eight different drivers taking the lead.
The result is yet another display of force from the Jaguar team, with three Jaguar-powered cars on the podium last time out in São Paulo.
For Evans it is his second win in a row after a difficult start to the 2023 Formula E season.
“The last race was special having us both on the podium and also with Nick, all Jaguar powertrains on the podium," said Evans.
"At this one, it’s extra special because it’s a 1-2 for the team and a really hard race to manage. It got a bit chaotic out there."
"I wasn’t expecting a victory in this place. This place has haunted me for many years. So, super happy to get a second win, but here it was unexpected."
"It’s full credit to everyone. Sam drove really well. He’s been quick all day. I was surprised to get in the front bunch so early."
"There was a lot of games being played out there and it was hard to manage but we got it done.”
Polesitter Sébastien Buemi was floored off the line by Dan Ticktum, who started fourth and launched around the outside to take the lead on the opening lap.
Ticktum and the lead group all opted to take their Attack Mode time as soon as possible, with Ticktum, Buemi, Sam Bird, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Edoardo Mortara all swapping spots as they shuffled through the activation zone.
Sergio Sette Camara lost his front wing as he clipped the McLaren of Jake Hughes on the final turn, before he ran out of room in turn one after being pinched by Hughes' teammate Rene Rast. The pair colliding heavily as Sette Camara spun around, bringing out the safety car to collect the debris around the circuit.
Jake Dennis led from Mortara and Buemi as the chaos of the opening ten laps was cooled behind the safety car, and the order was unchanged at the restart.
The one-time race leader began to fall through the field, with the Jaguar pair of Mitch Evans and Sam Bird passing for fifth and sixth.
The Jaguar duo wasted no time, with Evans on a charge, passing three cars and up into second within the next lap.
With Mortara taking Attack Mode from the lead, Evans took the top spot for the first time on lap 18.
The Kiwi had the track advantage but faced the challenge of both the mighty slipstream and his four minutes of remaining Attack Mode, the only driver in the top five with time remaining.
He dipped into the activation mode on the next lap and fell to fourth, as Jean-Éric Vergne and Andre Lotttterer came together and spun off harmlessly in the large run-off at the former airport.
Maximilian Günther was into the lead on lap 20 ahead of Buemi and Evans and it was now his turn to take Attack Mode from the lead, with Evans taking the chance to slip past Buemi and resuming his position at the front of the peloton before the field was neutralised once again.
Stoffel Vandoorne was rounding the outside of turn three past Dan Ticktum when the NIO driver ran wide and sandwiched Vandoorne into the wall.
Later replays showed that Ticktum had sustained damaged earlier in the lap and oversteered through turn three while in the battle pack.
The crash send Jake Hughes and Norma Nato backwards with damage, and the field once again took a deep breath before racing would resume again.
Evans led off the restart but the shenanigans resumed as he took his final Attack Mode on the first chance, dropping again to third behind the squabbling pair of Buemi and Günther.
The battle and the extra power of Attack Mode allowed the Jaguar driver back into contention, with the field compressing behind him, led by teammate Sam Bird.
Now there were two battles in progress, with both Jaguar drivers passing Buemi into turn one and chasing down Günther for the overall lead, while behind them the battle from fourth to ninth was compressing tighter and tighter each lap in the frantic racing.
The Jaguar pair despatched Günther on the next lap and worked together to build a gap on the chasing pack, while Buemi slipped back up into the final podium position.
All of this with more than ten laps remaining, as the race offered truly record-breaking action and excitement for the sold-out Berlin crowd.
Buemi made his way down the inside and past the lead pair while the two Maserati MSG Racing cars in fourth and fifth came together, the avoiding action helping the leaders as Günther and Mortara acted as rolling roadblock.
Jake Dennis was late on the brakes into the final corner, losing the rear and spinning into the side of António Félix Da Costa, forced into the pits from the top five.
The order was Bird, Buemi, Evans, at the front of the field with five laps remaining in regulation time, with the guarantee of Added Laps after the amount of running behind the safety car.
Buemi leap-frogged for the lead on lap 36 as the top three positioned themselves as if cyclists stalling on the high walls of a velodrome, waiting for the final lap and sprint to the finish.
With three Added Laps, Bird faced a staunch defence from the Envision Racing of Buemi and he chose to duck back into the slipstream and position himself for a later move.
In third, Evans took the chance to pass his stalling teammate and took the lead on the next lap, stretching his legs on the final lap of regulation time and running away from his rivals to the chequered flag.
Bird made the move for second on the final lap and made history for the Jaguar team, with Buemi mounting a last-minute challenge and completing the podium.
"What a race, really good fun," said Bird.
"It was difficult to manage the race actually. The energy consumption is different when you lead compared to when you’re behind. You don’t want to lead for too long."
"Seb, Mitch, loads of people drove a great race, but to see myself and Mitch come out on top is amazing.”
Fellow Kiwi Nick Cassidy was fifth, followed by championship leader Pascal Wehrlein who recovered from 15th on the gird to finish sixth.
Wehrlein maintains his lead of the championship ahead of Cassidy, with Evans up to fourth after taking back-to-back victories.
The 2023 FIA Formula E Championship returns on Sunday for the second leg of the Berlin double-header, with lights out at 11pm (AEST).
2023 FIA Formula E Championship - Round 7 Berlin Results
- Mitch Evans (NZ)
- Sam Bird
- Maximilian Gunther
- Sebastian Buemi
- Nick Cassidy (NZ)
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Jean-Eric Vergne
- Andre Lotterer
- Edoardo Mortara
- Oliver Rowland
- Lucas Di Grassi
- Sacha Fenestraz
- Norman Nato
- Robin Frijns
- Nico Muller
- Sergio Sette Camara
- Rene Rast
- Jake Dennis
- Antonio Felix Da Costa - DNF
- Dan Ticktum - DNF
- Stoffel Vandoorne - DNF
- Jake Hughes - DNF