Mitch Evans: “This win has come at the perfect time”

After enduring considerable bad luck in the opening five rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Mitch Evans finally tasted glory at the inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, to kickstart his campaign after what has been a challenging start to the year.

Whilst he’s by no means in title contention just yet, Evans will have felt his confidence go through the roof following a remarkable drive in Brazil, where he timed his attack to perfection. After starting third, Evans very quickly settled into the race amongst the top five, with it having become clear very quickly that leading the race wasn’t the right strategy. Efficiency played a huge part in the sixth round of the season, which meant whoever was leading the race had less energy at the end of the hectic E-Prix.

Evans conserved his energy and remained in the draft of the likes of Nick Cassidy, who he overtook for the lead with just a couple of laps remaining. With both Evans and Cassidy having boasted almost identical energy levels, there was nothing the Envision Racing driver could do to snatch the victory from his fellow New Zealander.

The win comes as a huge relief to Evans who has been below par so far this year; however, he’ll be hoping to carry the momentum from winning in Brazil into the remainder of the season. His win has seen him move up to ninth in the Drivers’ Championship, with Evans admitting himself that the win “has come at the perfect time”.

“This win has come at the perfect time, because we’ve had a tough start and the Jaguar has been quick. To finally get a victory is incredible – Nick pushed me all the way. This is all down to the hard work of the team, there’s a lot of graft that goes in, so much work into the strategy, to try and put it together is not easy so I’m super happy to get some big points on the board.”

“Massive hats off to the team” – Sam Bird

Sam Bird rounded off the podium to claim a 1-3 for Jaguar TCS Racing and a 1-2-3 for Jaguar powertrains, as the Coventry-based team showed Porsche that they aren’t giving up on the title.

The Briton had exceptional pace and recovered well from tenth, after having to serve a five-place grid penalty. He carved his way towards the front majestically whilst saving plenty of energy, something which saw him boast two-percent more than Evans and Cassidy in the closing laps. Due to his error in India, Bird opted to play it safe and come home in third, rather than risk a push for the win.

Had he gotten onto the back of the leading duo sooner then perhaps he would’ve given it a go; however, his second podium of the year has seen him move up to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship. Bird also received an additional point for setting the fastest lap, illustrating just how strong the Jaguar powertrain was in Brazil.

The Formula E veteran was incredibly pleased with the “brilliant result” and is hopeful that the side can take their form into Berlin next month.

“Amazing for Jaguar TCS Racing to get the podium locked out. Massive hats off to the team here and back at base, it’s a brilliant result. I got fastest lap too, it’s good points for the team and now we can look forward to Berlin.”

Credit: LAT Images courtesy of FIA Formula E