After claiming his second win of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship last time out in Berlin, Mitch Evans enters this weekend’s famous Monaco E-Prix feeling “so motivated”, with the New Zealander targeting his first win at The Principality.
Evans is certainly the most in-form driver ahead of the ninth round of the season, with the Jaguar TCS Racing driver having bounced back from his challenging start to the campaign. He managed to back-up his win in São Paulo with another win in Berlin, as well as a fourth-place finish in the second race at the German capital. As a result of his recent fine form, he’s risen from outside the top ten to fifth in the Drivers’ Championship, in the space of three races.
He enters this weekend twenty-four points behind Pascal Wehrlein and knowing that in the last two races at Monaco he’s finished third and second, is it going to be third-time lucky for the New Zealander?
“It is an amazing feeling racing in Monaco and it is even more special being able to call it a second home race for me – as there is no race in New Zealand. After success in São Paulo and Berlin, I am so motivated to deliver another incredible performance this weekend. It’s a track I’ve done well at in the past, finishing third in season seven and second in season eight so I’ll be giving it everything on Saturday.”
“This is an exciting weekend for everyone” – Sam Bird
On the other side of the Jaguar garage, Sam Bird is targeting another solid weekend after also claiming a rostrum in Berlin. Bird was on-hand to finish second behind Evans in the first race of the weekend in Berlin, to secure the Coventry-based team’s first 1-2 in Formula E.
The second race was more disappointing for Bird, with the Briton having been forced to pit for a new front wing, demoting him towards the back of the field. Regardless of the unfortunate incident, he still claimed some strong points in Germany to put him sixth in the standings, with eight races remaining.
Looking ahead to Monaco, a race he didn’t finish last season, Bird is hopeful that his side can “make new history” once again, with the Briton aiming for the side to “keep providing” results similar to Berlin and São Paulo.
“Overall, Berlin was a great weekend of racing for the team and we were able to show another strong performance in the Jaguar I-TYPE 6. Achieving a 1-2 finish for the first time was epic and I know we have it in us to keep providing results like this. This is an exciting weekend for everyone; Monaco is a famous racetrack which we hope to make new history at!“
Credit: Sam Bloxham courtesy of FIA Formula E