Mitch Evans topped two of the three sessions in Formula E’s official pre-season test in Valencia, which he admitted was “really beneficial” not only for himself but also for Jaguar TCS Racing.

Based on the week of running at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Jaguar appear to still have the best overall package on the grid, whilst the works team in particular looked incredibly strong. Evans was the quickest driver in the opening session on Tuesday morning prior to the fire, before he was fastest again on Thursday when action got back underway.

The Kiwi was then third quickest on Friday, which brought testing to a close. Evans’ 1m 24.474s lap on Tuesday morning was actually the quickest of the week, giving him “further confidence” ahead of the January season-opener in Mexico City.

It was a faultless week for Evans and the entire Coventry-based team, with 457 laps having been completed between Evans and his new partner Nick Cassidy. It was Cassidy who actually topped Friday’s 10-hour session, meaning it was a clean sweep for Jaguar.

Of the 457 laps completed, 247 of them were courtesy of Evans. He collected an incredible amount of data for the team to go over ahead of Mexico City, something which will be crucial given that the 29-year-old is expecting their rivals to try and “close the gap” before racing gets underway.

“The official test here in Valencia has been really beneficial for both myself and the team,” Evans said.

“I topped the first two session times which is promising and gives me further confidence that the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 has strong pace. However, we’re still 78 days away from the first race in Mexico City and we know that other teams will be doing their best to close the gap and make improvements. I’m looking forward to racing again in January.”

Whilst his pace looked exemplary throughout testing, it counts for nothing. Unless something truly bizarre happens, Evans will be in the championship fight for a fourth consecutive season. It’s pivotal that he makes the most of Jaguar’s advantage from the get-go, to save him having to do the chasing later in the season.

This was the case in season nine, as a slow start to the Gen3 era left the New Zealander with an incredible amount to do. To put it into some context, Evans was outside the top-10 in the Drivers’ Championship after five rounds last season.

He needs to be at the front instantly, something both himself and the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 have the ability to do.

Mitch Evans was the fastest driver once again as testing finally got back underway on Thursday afternoon, following the conclusion of an investigation into what caused Tuesday’s battery fire.

Thursday afternoon’s extended 4.5 hour session was the first time the drivers had been on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia since the end of the first session of the pre-season test on Tuesday. As a safety precaution, the drivers weren’t allowed to run at 350kW, with only 300kW having been permitted. This meant the quickest lap-time was slower than seen on Tuesday.

This didn’t stop Evans from setting the pace in the session, courtesy of a 1m 24.791s, just over three-tenths slower than he went on Tuesday. Evans only just claimed the top spot, as António Félix da Costa was just 0.023s behind the Kiwi.

It was an impressive time by Da Costa considering he only participated in the final hour of the session, as TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team fielded rookie Gabriela Jilkova. In doing so, she became the first woman to test a Gen3 car. She completed 46 laps for the Stuttgart-based squad.

Behind Evans and Da Costa was Edoardo Mortara, who put in a heroic display to be just over a tenth slower than the leading pace. Considering the 48 hours Mahindra Racing have had, this was a tremendous effort, as a lot of the team’s equipment was damaged in Tuesday’s fire. Because of the damage the side sustained, Nyck de Vries was forced to sit out.

Mortara actually led the bulk of the afternoon, before Evans jumped to the front. Just over two-tenths behind Evans in fourth was Robin Frijns, who is readjusting to life back at Envision Racing very well, it seems. He was closely followed by Pascal Wehrlein and Maximilian Günther.

The Jaguars and Porsches once again just seemed stronger than the rest, as proven by the fact they each had two cars using their powertrain in the top-five. Seventh was Oliver Rowland, ahead of Norman Nato in eighth. Rookie Jehan Daruvala did well to end the session just 0.358s behind Evans’ time, enough for P9. Nick Cassidy completed the top-10.

Reigning World Champion Jake Dennis could only salvage 12th, in what was his first session of testing after sitting out on Tuesday morning. Well off the pace at the back were both ERT Formula E Team drivers, as Dan Ticktum was 21st with Sérgio Sette Câmara in 22nd.

Action will resume at 08:30 CET (07:30 GMT)for what is now an extended 10-hour session, which will run all the way through to 18:30 CET (17:30 GMT) without a lunch break. This has been scheduled to try and make up for the 7.5 hours which remain lost, as 1.5 hours were made up for in the extended session on Thursday.

Testing will not be extended beyond Friday; however, Mahindra will be granted additional private testing time to make up for what they’ve lost with De Vries’ car not being able to participate in the remainder of the test. It’s already been confirmed by Mahindra that De Vries will share Mortara’s car on Friday.

Mitch Evans topped the first morning session of the official Formula E pre-season test, being held at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.

Tuesday morning in many ways marked the countdown to the season 10 opener in Mexico City, which takes place on 13 January 2024. It was Evans who made the best start to the test by ending the opening session as the fastest driver, a spot he claimed courtesy of setting a 1m 24.474s.

Just over a tenth of a second behind the Jaguar TCS Racing driver was António Félix da Costa, who enjoyed a solid start in Valencia. Envision Racing’s Sébastian Buemi completed the top-three.

The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team looked particularly strong on Tuesday morning, as Pascal Wehrlein led the session momentarily. He ended up in P5, behind the impressive Edoardo Mortara. Seeing Mahindra Racing in the top-four was certainly a surprise, given that they had the weakest package last season.

For Valencia, Mahindra are running a special test livery, which is made up of white and red. Both Porsche drivers being in the top-five is a good indicator that perhaps their one-lap pace has improved, with that having been their real achilles heel in season nine. They’ll be hoping to remain towards the top throughout the rest of the week.

Sixth spot was occupied by Maximilian Günther, who was the pacesetter in Valencia almost 12 months ago. He was narrowly ahead of rookie driver Taylor Barnard, who completed the session for NEOM McLaren in place of Sam Bird. Bird will be in the car this afternoon.

Barnard is McLaren’s chosen rookie driver to complete at least three hours of testing, an opportunity he’s clearly making the most of having topped his first ever Formula E session at one point.

Nico Müller, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Nick Cassidy completed the top-10. Season 10 rookie Jehan Daruvala completed 45 laps in his maiden test session for Maserati MSG Racing, with his best time having put him P13 on the timesheets.

Excluding Daruvala, five rookies were used during the session, including Nissan’s Victor Martins and Luca Ghiotto, Andretti’s Zane Maloney, who took Jake Dennis’ car, Barnard and Robert Shwartzman.

With the exception of Barnard, all the rookies featured towards the bottom of the timesheets, whilst Shwartzman at DS Penske was responsible for the session’s only red flag. The returning Nyck de Vries, was last and two seconds off the pace.

Interestingly, Evans’ lap time was quicker than Günther’s fastest time from testing ahead of season nine, which was a 1m 25.127s. To already be nearly a second quicker than Günther’s time from last year shows just how much has been learnt about the Gen3 machinery, with a 1m 23s perhaps set to be seen by the end of the week.

One key feature of the first session of testing was the inclusion of fast-charging pit-stops, with each team having trialled the system whilst conducting a mock pit-stop as if it were a race.

So it’s the Jaguars and the Porsches looking the strongest once again. Will this continue in this afternoon’s session?

Jaguar TCS Racing may have narrowly missed out on the season nine Constructors’ Championship, but the Coventry-based side arguably enter the new campaign as the hot favourites for the crown.

As a Formula E manufacturer, Jaguar made a strong start to the Gen3 era and continued their upward trend, which has developed over the last few seasons. Alongside Porsche, Jaguar made the most successful transition from Gen2 to Gen3 and in many ways developed the must-have powertrain of 2023.

Most of the manufacturers in Formula E developed a powertrain which was either strong over one-lap or very efficient, with Jaguar having really been the only supplier to have designed a powertrain which was effective in both areas.

Across their four cars, Jaguar claimed the most race wins in the 2022/23 season, with the factory team’s Mitch Evans having picked up four wins, as did Envision Racing’s – Jaguar’s customer team – Nick Cassidy. The British manufacturer had the winning powertrain on eight occasions in the first season of Gen3, meaning that a Jaguar-powered driver was victorious in 50% of the races.

The second best manufacturer was Porsche, who picked up six wins across their two teams as well as the Drivers’ Championship, courtesy of Andretti’s Jake Dennis. It was Jaguar who picked up the Constructors’ Championship, but via their customer team, rather than the full factory outfit.

Whilst the works team insisted that they were delighted for Envision, being beaten to the title by their customer team must have been a kick in the teeth and understandably so. Throughout the entirety of 2023, Mexico City and Jakarta were really the only two venues where the Jaguars all struggled, highlighting their impressive consistency.

As well as claiming the most victories out of all the powertrain suppliers, Jaguar also secured more pole positions than anyone else. Six pole positions were achieved by the famous manufacturer, whilst the next best were Nissan and Stellantis, who both had one of their powered cars start from P1 three times.

If that wasn’t enough for Jaguar, they also racked up more podium finishes in 2023 than any other manufacturer. 20 podium finishes were achieved by Jaguar-powered drivers, two more than were secured by Porsche’s four cars. Along with the German manufacturer, Jaguar-powered cars also managed to claim the fastest lap in six E-Prixs.

The statistics don’t lie. Jaguar were the most successful powertrain supplier in season nine, but why are the works team the favourites to claim the season 10 crown, rather than Envision?

Jaguar TCS Racing’s supreme driver pairing

Envision’s charge to their first Constructors’ Championship was led superbly by Cassidy, who was the season nine Vice Champion behind Dennis. For 2024, the Kiwi has moved from Jaguar’s customer team to the main outfit, replacing Sam Bird who has moved 95 miles south from Coventry to Woking, to join the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

Cassidy is forming an all-Kiwi partnership with Evans, in what is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most in-form driver pairing on the season 10 grid. Jaguar have at their disposal the drivers who came second and third last season and were responsible for all of the powertrain supplier’s wins, as well as 15 of their rostrums.

Evans, too often in season nine, was left to fight for the team by himself, with Bird’s recent campaign having been inconsistent. With Cassidy onboard, the factory Jaguar squad have two drivers who should be fighting for the podium in every single round virtually, if they carry over their 2023 form into 2024.

Jaguar are the one manufacturer who really don’t have much to do ahead of pre-season testing, given that they were consistently successful both in qualifying and in the races.

Based on Evans’ and Cassidy’s season nine campaigns, Jaguar could very easily cruise to the season 10 crown in Red Bull-esq fashion, should Norman Nato not be able to support Dennis at Andretti and if TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team’s one-lap woes continue.

Having two of the most in-form drivers in the championship is in many ways a blessing and a curse for Jaguar, with the last thing they need in 2024 being an intra-team rivalry. That is the risk they’ve taken by signing Cassidy, given that if the duo avoid clashing with one another, it could prove to be a dream signing for the team.

With all of that in mind, it’s safe to say that ahead of pre-season testing next month, Jaguar TCS Racing are the favourites for the 2024 title. However, will it be Evans or Cassidy who finishes highest in the Drivers’ Championship?

Mitch Evans admitted that there was “definitely some disappointment” in having missed out on the Formula E World Championship yet again, following a titanic battle with Jake Dennis and Nick Cassidy.

Dennis ultimately beat Evans and Cassidy to the crown thanks to a record-breaking campaign, which saw the Avalanche Andretti driver secure 11 podiums from 16 races. It was the two New Zealanders who claimed the most victories in 2023 though, with four apiece.

Evans had to settle for third in the Drivers’ Championship after Cassidy won the final race of the season in London, a weekend which saw Evans finish first in the opening race and second in the finale.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver has now lost out on the title at the season finale for three consecutive seasons, with three times most certainly not being the charm for Evans. Due to the fact he was in the title fight right till the end, though, it’s easy to forget that after the opening five races, he wasn’t even in the top 10 in the Drivers’ Championship.

Evans endured a miserable start to season nine, which saw him collect just 11 points from the first five events. This number would’ve been higher if he weren’t taken out by his team-mate in Hyderabad, when challenging for the podium.

The 29-year-old’s season truly came to life in São Paulo, where he clinched his first victory of the season in what was a Jaguar powertrain 1-2-3. This result finally promoted him into the top 10 in the standings, before he threw himself into title contention after winning at the following race in Berlin.

He went on to finish fourth in the second of two races in the German capital, with him boasting significant momentum. This momentum pushed him on to claim second in Monaco, behind his 2024 team-mate Cassidy.

However, his momentum and title charge was crushed somewhat in the opening race at the Jakarta double-header, after he was taken out by Sam Bird yet again. This seriously put Evans on the back foot in the championship fight, as he occupied fifth.

Fifth became fourth in the second race in Jakarta though, where he put on a strong defensive display to claim P3. His performance at the following round in Portland was arguably one of his best of 2023, as he recovered from P20 to P4 in a race which featured over 400 overtakes. However, he still found himself 32 points off the top of the championship.

At this point, Evans recognised that only perfection would win him the title, something he showed at his beloved Rome, where in the first of two races he claimed pole position, victory and the fastest lap. His hard work was undone in the second race, where he retired early on after an error saw him launch over Cassidy.

By this point, he was very much an outsider for the championship and required Dennis to falter. Unfortunately for the Kiwi, Dennis did all he needed to in London to clinch the World Championship. A fourth victory of the season and a second place was still a strong way to end the campaign for Evans, who is “proud” of his and Jaguar’s efforts.

It wasn’t just Evans who lost out, as the Jaguar factory side also missed out on the Constructors’ Championship, which went to their customer team, Envision Racing. Season nine has nevertheless been another exceptional year for Evans, who “accepted” earlier in the season that his chances of winning the title were slim.

“No, I’m definitely proud of myself. I’m proud of what the team’s done,” Evans told Motorsport Week following the final race of the season in London.

“I’m disappointed, though, four wins, many podiums, to not walk away with the title, but at one point I think I was like 80 points behind. So to come back, and I kind of lost it, not lose interest, but I kind of just accepted I probably wouldn’t be fighting for the championship.

“We turned things around massively and to come into this weekend still in the fight was strong, but, yeah, I would say there’s definitely some disappointment, but I’ve got to kind of accept that. And Jake and Nick did a great job this year.

“Every time I had a good result, they’re always there and when they had a good result, I was. It was one of those years.”

Mitch Evans has signed a multi-year contract extension with Jaguar TCS Racing, following the conclusion of the 2022/23 Formula E season.

Following last weekend’s final round of the season in London, Jaguar have quickly confirmed that Evans’ seven-year journey with the team won’t be ending anytime soon.

Evans has raced for the British manufacturer since they joined the all-electric series in 2016, with him having gone on to claim 25 podiums for the side, including 10 victories. Seven of those podiums and four of those wins came this season alone.

The New Zealander has enjoyed a stellar campaign this year, which ended with a victory and a podium at the London E-Prix. Whilst he fell short of the Drivers’ Championship once again, he asserted his place as being one of the strongest drivers on the grid.

He’s an incredible asset to Jaguar, who are clearly keen to retain the 29-year-old for as long as possible. Evans has admitted that remaining with the Coventry-based team going forwards was the “natural choice”, with him now looking forward to their “next chapter together”.

“Having been with Jaguar TCS Racing since 2016, it was the natural choice to continue our successful partnership,” Evans said.

“We’ve had some incredible moments over the last seven years and I’m looking forward to writing our next chapter together. I am proud to race for Jaguar and play my part with the team in JLR’s Reimagine strategy.”

Evans finished the 2022/23 season third in the standings, having taken the title fight down to the penultimate round of the season. Had it not been for his error in Rome, then the last race of the season would’ve likely decided the championship.

Based on how strong he’s been this year though, and how good Jaguar’s Gen3 powertrain has been, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Evans at the sharp end again in 2024.

Team Principal James Barclay is very happy to have retained Evans on a multi-year deal, with the driver being viewed as “one of the founding members” of the British team.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to confirm that Mitch remains a key part of Jaguar TCS Racing for the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and beyond,” stated Barclay.

“Mitch has been one of the founding members of the team since Jaguar returned to racing in 2016 and is now one of the longest serving drivers in Jaguar’s history. The fact that our future remains together for a new chapter is an accolade we are both proud of.

“Mitch has time and again demonstrated that he is one of the most talented drivers in the world, so we are pleased that our formidable partnership continues. I’m excited to build on the successes we have enjoyed to date and challenging for more championships together.”

Mitch Evans has admitted that he needs a “miracle weekend” to become the 2022/23 Formula E World Champion, at the London E-Prix season finale.

The ExCeL Centre’s unique indoor/outdoor circuit plays host to the final two rounds of season nine, with Evans very much being the title outsider.

Evans heads into the final weekend of the season 44 points behind championship leader Jake Dennis and 20 behind second-place Nick Cassidy, with 58 points up for grabs in East London.

The New Zealander would’ve been considerably closer had he not retired at the second race in Rome a fortnight ago, after locking his rears and launching over the top of Cassidy.

He knows that only a perfect weekend in London will see him clinch the championship, whilst he also recognises that he needs his title rivals to have a “nightmare”.

It’s not just the Drivers’ Championship that the Kiwi has to consider though, with Jaguar TCS Racing being very much in the fight for the Constructors’ crown.

Jaguar sit 25 points behind customer team Envision Racing and 11 behind TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, who are perhaps less suited to the indoor/outdoor circuit than the two Jaguar-powered teams.

The Teams’ Championship is the “real massive focus” for Evans and the Coventry-based outfit at their home E-Prix, as the 29-year-old is “not really expecting” to overcome his sizeable deficit in the Drivers’ Standings.

“I doubt it, it pains me to say that, but I’m just trying to be realistic,” Evans told Motorsport Week, when asked if he can become World Champion this weekend.

“Yeah, I can’t unless I have a miracle weekend where obviously I need to win both races or pretty much win both races and Jake and Nick to have a nightmare. Look, stranger things have happened, but I’m not banking on that too much.

“Obviously, we’ve got a great shot on the Teams’. That’s a real massive focus for us and more of a possibility. So, if we can come out on top of that, I’ll be happy with that, to get our first world championship.

“So, look, we’ll see what happens, but I’m in a really chilled mindset. Not really expecting it to happen, but hopefully I’m wrong.”

Evans went well in free practice 1 and ended the opening session of the season finale in fifth, ahead of Cassidy and Dennis.

Free practice 2 gets underway Saturday morning at 10:30 GMT.

Mitch Evans is hoping to end the 2023 Formula E season “on a high note”, at this weekend’s season finale in London.

Evans heads to the London E-Prix double-header looking to bounce back from his likely title-ending collision at his beloved Rome E-Prix, which saw him launch over fellow title protagonist Nick Cassidy.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver did brilliantly to win the opening race in the Italian capital just over a week ago, to keep his hopes of becoming World Champion alive.

However, his hopes disintegrated on the second lap of the second race in Rome, as he was forced to retire after launching over the top of Cassidy.

Evans locked his rear tyres and went almost vertical in the air, as his car was sent skywards over his fellow New Zealander.

With championship leader Jake Dennis having won the race after capitalising on Evans’ and Cassidy’s collision, the 29-year-old finds himself 44 points adrift of the Andretti driver with two races remaining.

Whilst Evans is still mathematically in the title hunt – a maximum of 58 points can be scored in London – realistically his chances are over for another year.

He needs a miracle to happen to somehow leave the ExCeL Centre as World Champion; however, stranger things have happened in Formula E this season.

Evans is seemingly not thinking too much about the Drivers’ Championship as he heads into the weekend, with him simply aiming for the “best result possible”.

“I left Rome with a mixture of emotions but I’m heading to London ready to end on a high note, giving it my all and aiming for the best possible result,” Evans said.

“It’s been an incredible season of racing – we’ve had a really fast and efficient Jaguar I-TYPE 6, I’ve had three wins, five podiums and I’m hopeful to get a few more this weekend.”

On the other side of the Coventry-based team’s garage, Sam Bird is looking to score some strong points in his and the team’s home event, in what is reportedly his last weekend with Jaguar.

The Race reported recently that Cassidy is going to be replacing the British driver in 2024, with Bird having supposedly found a seat elsewhere.

2023 will represent the end of a third season with the team for Bird, in what has been a mixed period of time for the driver.

He’s bounced back somewhat in season nine following a dreadful campaign in 2022, with four podiums to his name this year.

Another podium or two this weekend could help Jaguar clinch the Constructors’ Championship for the first time, as they enter the season finale 25 points behind customer outfit Envision.

The 36-year-old is “determined” to help the team pursue the crown in East London, in what’ll be a “special” few days for the British driver.

“Racing on home soil will always be special for me and I’m looking forward to seeing how the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 performs on this track,” said Bird.

“I’m going into this weekend feeling determined to do my best for the team in our quest for the team championship.”

Mitch Evans has apologised to title rival Nick Cassidy and Envision Racing, after wiping out his fellow Kiwi in a potentially title-deciding collision.

Last weekend’s Rome E-Prix double-header was jaw-dropping, with the second race of the event having seen the two title rivals crash out.

The ‘King of Rome’ entered Sunday’s race having claimed a third consecutive victory in the Italian capital on Saturday, after mastering the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR for the fourth time in his career. Qualifying fourth for Sunday’s race – he claimed pole for race one – saw the Jaguar TCS Racing driver labelled as the favourite for victory once again, given his track record in the Eternal City.

Evans started the race behind championship leader Jake Dennis and Cassidy, who locked out the front row, whilst Norman Nato lined up in third. Nato was dispatched of quickly by Evans at the start of the second lap, before he slotted in behind Cassidy on the approach to Turn 7.

With the top three in the Drivers’ Championship having been in the top three places on the circuit, it set the race up beautifully. However, any hopes of a huge fight for the win were eradicated at Turn 7, where Evans’ biggest fears came true.

The 29-year-old got “caught by surprise” at how slow Dennis and Cassidy were entering the corner, something which saw the Jaguar driver lose control of his I-TYPE 6. His car launched over the top of Cassidy’s, with the halo device having saved the Envision driver.

Evans’ #9 Jaguar reached a staggering height as it went over the top of Cassidy, something which scattered debris across the circuit. Both cars somehow rejoined the race; however, Evans was forced into the pits for repairs. His car, though, was too badly damaged, causing him to retire from the race.

Cassidy somehow completed the race and claimed 14th, despite having had significant damage to his roll hoop. Dennis went on to win the race relatively easily, moving him into the championship lead by 24 points over Cassidy. Ahead of Sunday, Cassidy actually led the standings by five points, with the collision having significantly damaged his own title chances.

Mathematically, Evans remains in the title fight ahead of next weekend’s finale in London, but based on the fact he now sits 44 points behind Dennis, his hopes are effectively over for another year. The Auckland-born driver was left feeling “so sorry” for his rare mistake, with it having undone so much hard work done by himself and Cassidy.

“Firstly, I’m so sorry to Nick and to the Envision Racing team,” said an extremely apologetic Evans.

“The incident today all happened really quickly. I wasn’t trying to do anything silly, but I got caught by surprise and I wasn’t expecting it to be that slow at the apex. As a result, I ruined my race and I ruined Nick’s race.

“I haven’t made many mistakes this season, but this small error has huge consequences. It really hurts as this is a critical point in the championship and one where I needed to score good points.

“We’re still in the hunt for the teams’ championship and even though it will be tough for the drivers’ I’ll continue to push forward until the chequered flag falls in London.”

Mitch Evans claimed victory in Rome once again on Saturday, with the ‘King of Rome’ now targeting consecutive back-to-back wins in the Italian capital on Sunday.

Evans and the Rome E-Prix are seemingly a match made in heaven, after the Jaguar TCS Racing driver won a third consecutive race at the Eternal City. His race one win on Saturday was actually his fourth around the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR, with the New Zealander’s first win in Formula E having also come in Rome back in 2019.

Fast forward to this weekend and Evans has the chance to replicate his back-to-back wins in last season’s double-header, something he admits is “there for the taking”. The Auckland-born driver was brilliant on Saturday and managed the race well, despite “one little scare”.

Evans topped free practice 2 Saturday morning before securing pole position in qualifying, where he defeated team-mate Sam Bird in the final. Bird actually led the opening laps of the race ahead of Evans, before the 29-year-old returned to the front.

He found himself in second behind Sacha Fenestraz on the ninth lap though, when a red flag was flown, following a huge high-speed multi-car crash which was initiated by Bird crashing at Turn 6. The race finally resumed 42 minutes later, albeit with a significantly lighter grid.

The title contender remained behind Fenestraz who was considerably low on energy, causing the Frenchman to bunch the field up in a bid to improve his energy management situation. Evans did finally get past the Nissan driver on Lap 16, but not before Jake Dennis had overtaken the Jaguar driver and Fenestraz for the race lead.

Evans quickly caught Dennis where he then sat behind the Andretti driver, who’d built a big enough gap momentarily to activate his first Attack Mode and, crucially, remain in the lead. A couple of laps later, Evans was tactically allowed past his title rival, who activated his second Attack Mode.

Lap 20 and Evans tried to activate his final Attack Mode as well; however, he missed one of the activation sensors. It meant he dropped back behind Dennis essentially for no reason, giving up crucial time. Thankfully, the Kiwi had two-percent more energy and quicker pace than Dennis, allowing him to successfully activate his Attack Mode on the following lap and quickly catch back up.

The additional power and energy advantage helped Evans breeze past Dennis on Lap 22, on the way into the difficult Turn 7. He went on to win the race fairly comfortably, as Dennis dropped off due to his low-energy levels. Evans ended up winning ahead of Nick Cassidy, with Dennis having fallen to fourth.

In terms of the standings, the result saw Evans move ahead of Pascal Wehrlein – who finished eighth – and into third, where he sits 20 points behind new championship leader Cassidy.

Replicating his two wins in the historic city from last season is now very much on the cards for Evans, something he’s heavily backed to do. His win also meant he was able to “break the curse” and become the first driver to win from pole position in Rome, a feat he was targeting.

Evans is aware that he could claim back-to-back wins in the Eternal City once again on Sunday in what would be his fifth victory at the stunning venue, if himself and the Coventry-based team “take the right steps”.

“It was almost two races that we had today,” Evans said in his post-race interview on Saturday.

“First of all it was good to see everyone was fine after that shunt, it was pretty big and obviously Sam had a pretty scary moment, so good to see everyone is fine.

“After that I was a little bit down on energy compared to Nick and Jake, so I had to try and equalise that, the energy targets dropped a lot after the safety car, so it became much more of an energy race than we were expecting. But I managed it well, and the team helped guide me through like always, and then leave the rest for me.

“One little scare was missing the ATTACK, I missed it at the last loop, I was going through super slow and I still missed it! I need to practice that tomorrow. But a huge result today, maximum points, which was what I needed. Only a small dent into Nick’s lead, but it’s better than nothing.

“We were hoping to break that curse [becoming the first driver to win from pole in Rome]. Four wins here is amazing, not sure what it is about this place, but I love the track. We obviously have another day tomorrow, and I think people will make another big step, Nick was quick in the race as well.

“It is there for the taking tomorrow but we need to take the right steps, and hopefully we have got a good balance like we had today.”

Evans started Sunday in perfect fashion, by topping free practice 3. Should he claim pole for the 14th round of the 2022/23 Formula E season, then it’d be the fifth consecutive session he’s topped in the Italian capital this weekend.