MITCH Evans surged to his second win after 11 races at the Berlin E-Prix this weekend, steering clear of the on-track chaos to clinch a crucial win ahead of reigning Formula E champion Pascal Wehrlein and third-place finisher Edoardo Mortara.
Starting from pole position and battling poor visibility throughout the race, Evans stayed cool and put on a commanding display to lead every lap. Jaguar’s strategic gamble finally paid off for the New Zealander, who rebounded from a string of retirements and low-grid finishes that had dulled the momentum of his season-opening victory in São Paulo.
“[It was] tricky conditions, lots of management in the race. I was managing towards the end of the race with the brakes, which wasn’t easy, but I was quite happy with a little bit of a gap,” Evans said.
“Nonetheless, the car seemed competitive all throughout the race, and there were good strategy calls from the team. My guys really needed this, so this is for them.”
The stage for the 13th round of the FE season was at the old Berlin Templehof airport, now repurposed as a race circuit, and will also have another race on 13 July for round 14. Last season, Jaguar had better outcomes in the garage of Nick Cassidy, who took a double win for the team.
Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein played all the cards available to him at the Templehof circuit trying to overtake Evans for the win, but in the last lap, Wehrlein went wide in sector three, which allowed Evans the opportunity to hold his position and take the win.
While disappointed with his result, Wehrlein was reminded by his team to focus on the long-term goal of retaining his drivers championship title and that he would have another opportunity to win his home race.
“It was an important day and a good race, obviously, starting from P9. Finishing the race in second is a good result, but we had a small taste of the victory. I think pace-wise we are clearly the quickest, so I tried really hard. It was close in the end, but I need to be happy for today,” he said.
The polesitter led the vast majority of the race in controlled fashion, stretching his lead when required and steering through a couple of spells under the Safety Car with enough in hand to hold off a late charge from Wehrlein.
Having fended off Wehrlein and Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and retaining his position after using both attack modes and a pit boost, Evans rounded off his Saturday as the fastest driver on the grid and in fourth place in the championship standings behind Wehrlein, Maximilian Gunther, and championship leader Oliver Rowland.
Speaking of the drivers’ championship leader, Rowland was one of the four drivers to retire from the race and scupper the chance to grab more points to extend his lead on the standings.
Lap 33 saw major drama unfold during the restart. Rowland was sent spinning after clashing with Maserati’s Stoffel Vandoorne in a misjudged move at the hairpin, leaving his Nissan with terminal damage. Dennis’s car failed to get going at the race start, while Vergne retired due to suspension failure.
Meanwhile, Beckmann made contact with Nissan’s Sergio Sette-Câmara, resulting in damage and forcing Beckmann out of the race. Rowland’s retirement leaves a 19-point gap between him at the top of the drivers’ championship and Wehrlein, who trails in second place.
In order for Rowland to secure his first FE title, the British driver must end the remaining races on the podium, which will give him the advantage necessary ahead of a determined Wehrlein as the season battle reaches the final stages.
