Puebla points for Mitch Evans and Jaguar Racing
Jaguar Racing driver, Mitch Evans left Mexico third in the Formula E Drivers’ Standings after scoring points in both rounds this past Saturday and Sunday. Jaguar Racing moved to third in the Teams’ World Championship, just four points behind current leader Mercedes-EQ and one point behind second place DS Techeetah.
Kiwi, Mitch Evans, started in twelfth on the grid in Saturday’s race after finishing second in group one qualifying. The track evolution in between group one and group four was particularly evident in the colourful Mexican city of Puebla. In the race, which marked the halfway point in the season, the team delivered a solid ATTACK MODE and energy management strategy, allowing Evans to execute an impressive drive – carving his way through the pack and making strong decisive overtakes. A late safety car caused the all-electric racecars to bunch together. This combined with a second compulsory ATTACK MODE made further progress difficult for Mitch.
Briton, Sam Bird, started the race in eighteenth after a challenging qualifying session in the shadow of the Popocatepetl volcano. Bird showed the pace of the Jaguar I-TYPE 5 by working his way through the field gaining nine places before a collision with Alex Lynn when exiting the ‘joker lap’ ATTACK MODE activation zone caused him to retire.
The start of the ninth round on Sunday saw Mitch Evans gain four places, while Sam Bird gained three places off the line. Mitch started in eighteenth on the grid after finishing second in group one qualifying. With overnight rain, the track evolution penalised the championship leaders in group one.
The Kiwi navigated his way through the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed circuit, showing the pace and efficiency of the Jaguar I-TYPE 5. He would eventually finish the Puebla race in ninth after making critical overtakes on Stoffel Vandoorne and Sebastian Buemi.
The Jaguar duo of Evans and Bird, worked closely together throughout the race to maximise points for the team. Bird, who started in fifteenth after a challenging qualifying session, finished the race in twelfth, just outside of the points. The Brit had a tough final 25 minutes after a collision with Lucas Di Grassi half way through the race.
James Barclay, Team Director Jaguar Racing, said: “Well done to Mitch and Sam for battling through the field today. We feel we deserved a bit more from the weekend but we are still in the hunt for both championships. As we saw today one good weekend can move you to the top of the standings when you take the advantage from a later qualifying group.”
Sam Bird, #10 Jaguar Racing driver, said: “This championship is very challenging at times and for the last two races I’ve been in one of those tough periods. Consistency is key but today I got taken out again, through no fault of my own. One win and you can be leading the championship – you just need to make sure you put a few good races together and you’ll succeed. It is now time to focus on New York – a track I really like – let’s hope we get a clean run, can execute a great race and get some good points.”
Mitch Evans, #20 Jaguar Racing driver, said: “The race today was really tough. We started in P18 and the target was to get into the top ten and we did exactly that, we got points. We had a great start – I passed four cars on the first lap and I started making my way forward. I made some good moves but it was extremely difficult as the track was breaking up a lot, so offline it was extremely slippery and to manage the rear tyre was challenging. It’s really hard and tiring starting at the back of the grid, but that’s the price you pay for being high up in the driver standings. It was a lot of work for a few points but we leave Mexico happy and ready for New York.”
Rounds ten and eleven of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship take place on the streets of New York on Saturday 3 July and Sunday 4 July 2021.
