Mitch Evans finally kick-started his 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with a stunning victory at the inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, in a race which had absolutely everything, including, heartbreak for a title contender and a Jaguar powertrain 1-2-3.
Vandoorne Holds Lead in Hectic Start
As the lights went out, it was polesitter Stoffel Vandoorne who reacted best and led into the opening corner, whilst behind it was absolute carnage. Norman Nato drove straight into the back of Jake Hughes and suffered huge amounts of damage to his front wing, resulting in an instant retirement for the Frenchman. Edoardo Mortara was also forced to pit at the end of the opening lap after he too broke his front wing, as did André Lotterer. It was certainly a chaotic opening lap, with championship leader Pascal Wehrlein having made up seven places from eighteenth.
The third lap saw further carnage at the tight Turn Five as Sébastian Buemi went into the back of Maximilian Günther, making him the third driver to enter the pits for a new front wing. Vandoorne cooly led the way, though, whilst behind Sam Bird had worked his way from tenth to fifth. The race leader became the first driver to blink on Lap Five and activate his first Attack Mode, elevating António Félix da Costa into the lead. The Portuguese driver quickly lost the lead back to Vandoorne on Lap Seven following a dive down the inside of Turn One, putting the Belgian into an excellent position.
After a hectic start to the race, the first Safety Car was suddenly summoned on Lap Eight, after rookie Sacha Fenestraz grinded to a halt on the exit of Turn Six. It meant both Nissan Formula E Team drivers’ had retired within the opening ten laps, marking a disappointing day for the Japanese manufacturer. Elsewhere, Wehrlein and Jake Dennis ran tenth and eleventh, whilst at the front Vandoorne led from Evans and Nick Cassidy, with Da Costa having slipped to fourth.
Agony For Dennis as Lead Changes
The Safety Car finally pulled back into the pits at the end of Lap Eleven, with Vandoorne having excellently restarted the race. There was action behind as Da Costa moved back into third after a great move on Cassidy, with the Cape Town winner having then overtaken Evans for second at the opening corner of the very next lap. Cassidy was clearly keen to follow Da Costa, with the New Zealander having overtaken Evans for third moments after Da Costa made his move.
There was chaos on Lap Fourteen as Cassidy and Evans suddenly overtook Da Costa at the opening corner, whilst further down the field Dennis had a dramatic collision with championship rival Wehrlein as a result of being hit by Dan Ticktum, forcing the championship contender to suddenly retire from the race. It was an absolutely manic race as Vandoorne lost the lead purposefully to Cassidy on Lap Sixteen, with Da Costa having also overtaken Vandoorne. The race was then halted once again, though, after a Safety Car was needed to recover Dennis’ stricken car and collect some of the carbon fibre scattered across the circuit.
The second Safety Car of the race finally entered the pits at the end of Lap Eighteen, with Cassidy having restarted the race well. He immediately opted to activate his first Attack Mode, though, awarding the lead to Da Costa. Cassidy was quickly back into the lead a lap later after Da Costa and Evans both activated their first Attack Mode, with the race having seemingly been one that nobody wanted to lead. Further down the field and Mortara fell to the foot of the field, after hitting a barrier following a tagging.
Cassidy Breaks Away
By Lap Twenty-Three the field had suddenly become very spread out, whilst Wehrlein had worked his way into fifth. With Dennis out of the race, Wehrlein recognised that he could build a huge gap in the standings, if he could work his way towards the front. At the front and Cassidy had built a nice advantage over Evans, with the leading duo having boasted the highest energy.
Lap Twenty-Five was one that saw Da Costa’s chances for back-to-back victories disappear, after locking-up at Turn One and losing four places as a result. He slipped from third to seventh and was effectively out of the victory fight, to the disappointment of the Portuguese driver. The race certainly settled down as it was announced that there would be an additional four laps, following the two Safety Cars.
Bird was the man on the move, though, with the Brit having overtaken Jean-Éric Vergne for fourth. He quickly made his way into third on Lap Thirty, after overtaking Vandoorne at the first corner.
Evans Claims Sensational Win
As the race entered its final five laps, it was a Jaguar powertrain 1-2-3, with Bird having set his sights on closing down Cassidy and Evans, who were separated by nothing. Bird’s late race pace was exceptional, with the Briton having boasted an additional two-percent energy. He closed a two-second gap in just a lap and a half, to make it a three-way fight for he win.
Evans was the first to act on Bird’s exceptional pace, with the New Zealander having overtaken Cassidy for the lead on Lap Thirty-Two of Thirty-Five. As they started the penultimate lap Evans narrowly led from Cassidy and Bird, with Bird having still had two-percent more energy than the leading duo.
As they started the final lap nothing could separate the trio, with Cassidy having done everything he could to try and force the move on Evans. There was nothing Cassidy or Bird could do, though, to stop Evans from claiming his first win and Jaguar TCS Racing‘s first win of the season, in what was a Jaguar powertrain 1-2-3. Da Costa claimed fourth from Vergne, whilst championship leader Wehrlein had to settle for seventh. Polesitter Vandoorne claimed sixth and three bonus points for securing pole. Bird claimed the Fastest Lap bonus point.
Following what was one of the best races of the season, Wehrlein remains as the championship leader but by twenty-four points now, with Dennis still narrowly holding on to second. Cassidy has moved to third whilst Vergne and Da Costa occupy fourth and fifth. In the Constructors’ Championship, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team now lead by forty-one points from Envision Racing, with Jaguar having risen massively to third. Following a miserable day, Avalanche Andretti Formula E have slipped to fifth in the standings.
The drivers now have another four week break to recover from what was an exhilarating race, as Formula E returns on April 22 & 23 for a double-header in Berlin.
São Paulo E-Prix Round 6: Race Full Results
| POS. | NO. | DRIVER. | NAT. | TEAM. | TIME/GAP. |
| 1 | 9 | Mitch Evans | NZL | Jaguar TCS Racing | 53:25.536 |
| 2 | 37 | Nick Cassidy | NZL | Envision Racing | +0.284 |
| 3 | 10 | Sam Bird | GBR | Jaguar TCS Racing | +0.507 |
| 4 | 13 | António Félix da Costa | POR | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +3.487 |
| 5 | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne | FRA | DS Penske | +4.042 |
| 6 | 1 | Stoffel Vandoorne | BEL | DS Penske | +4.576 |
| 7 | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein | DEU | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +5.659 |
| 8 | 5 | Jake Hughes | GBR | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | +6.141 |
| 9 | 58 | René Rast | DEU | NEOM McLaren Formula E Team | +7.403 |
| 10 | 16 | Sébastian Buemi | CHE | Envision Racing | +7.976 |
| 11 | 7 | Maximilian Günther | DEU | Maserati MSG Racing | +15.192 |
| 12 | 36 | André Lotterer | DEU | Avalanche Andretti Formula E | +15.345 |
| 13 | 11 | Lucas di Grassi | BRZ | Mahindra Racing | +19.247 |
| 14 | 33 | Dan Ticktum | GBR | NIO 333 Racing | +19.398 |
| 15 | 4 | Robin Frijns | NED | ABT CUPRA Formula E Team | +20.751 |
| 16 | 8 | Oliver Rowland | GBR | Mahindra Racing | +26.465 |
| 17 | 3 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | BRZ | NIO 333 Racing | +31.514 |
| 18 | 51 | Nico Mueller | CHE | ABT CUPRA Formula E Team | DNF |
| 19 | 48 | Edoardo Mortara | CHE | Maserati MSG Racing | DNF |
| 20 | 27 | Jake Dennis | GBR | Avalanche Andretti Formula E | DNF |
| 21 | 23 | Sacha Fenestraz | FRA | Nissan Formula E Team | DNF |
| 22 | 17 | Norman Nato | FRA | Nissan Formula E Team | DNF |