Tag: Mitch Evans

Andretti’s Dennis clinches Formula E crown as Evans wins in London

Jake Dennis dodged the slings and arrows of a typically frenetic Hankook London E-Prix to come home second, enough to secure the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Drivers’ Championship for the Avalanche Andretti driver with one race remaining, while …

Jake Dennis dodged the slings and arrows of a typically frenetic Hankook London E-Prix to come home second, enough to secure the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Drivers’ Championship for the Avalanche Andretti driver with one race remaining, while Mitch Evans took the checkered flag first for Jaguar TCS Racing.

Dennis survived two missed trips through the Attack Mode power boost loop, heavy pressure from his closest rival and polesitter Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) as well as two red-flag stoppages to become Formula E’s first British champion and the first to take the title on home soil by taking a record 10th podium finish of the season. Dennis’ title is also Andretti’s first in Formula E, the American team having been a part of the series from day one.

Dennis headed into the race 24 points clear of Cassidy, who started from pole after Evans qualified first but was handed a five-place grid penalty for causing an accident last time out in Rome.

Cassidy led the early stages before ceding top spot to eventual winner and countryman Evans on lap 11 and second spot to teammate Sebastien Buemi. Dennis had earlier made it by Cassidy with an opportunistic move at the final corner just a couple of laps before, with Cassidy immediately fighting his way back by the Andretti car — a titanic scrap looked to be brewing.

However, with Cassidy running in formation, close behind the Swiss, the Envision drivers came into contact. The former’s front wing was dislodged, catching beneath his left-front wheel. Repairs were attempted but his race couldn’t be salavaged — one fewer challenger for Dennis to deal with.

Loose bodywork from that clash caused a brief spell under the safety car, bunching the pack up. Dennis, meanwhile was not impressed over the radio with Porsche stablemate Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche), the German hanging onto fourth at the expense of the standings leader in the customer, Porsche-powered Avalanche Andretti as the teams’ title battle heated up. Team owner Michael Andretti wasn’t pleased either…

Wehrlein’s challenge then also fell by the wayside in a shunt just before a red flag was flown for the recovery of Sacha Fenestraz’s Nissan. He and Jake Hughes tangled into Turn 1, with the damage to the German’s Porsche terminal.

Evans leads Sebastien Buemi. Simon Galloway/Motorsport Images

On the restart Evans led away, with Dennis working his way into third. An over-optimistic move from Norman Nato (Nissan) at the penultimate turn on lap 34 then caused a chain reaction behind with several cars unable to avoid the melee, enforcing another spell under the red flag.

It was a three-lap sprint to the flag at the restart, with Dennis having only to hold fast to ensure he’d take top honors. Duly, he did, in front of jubilant home support — made doubly sure by his promotion to second at the flag, just behind Evans, with a penalty for TAG Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa, dropping him out of the podium positions. Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing) rounded out the podium.

“Oh my God. That is incredible!” said Dennis. “That race was so hard, everything thrown at us. World champions, baby!

“I felt like everyone was racing against us but Jesus Christ — we have just become world champion and I am so so happy for myself, the team and everyone, we deserved it so much.

“I only joined the championship three years ago and we almost won it in our rookie year, but now to come back and properly have the year that we had, you know break all the podium records and to become world champion, it’s just mind blowing. I really didn’t think it coming into this year and full credit to my boys — I love them so much and they’ve given me an absolute rocketship all year. And this is the least I can do for them.

“I can hear the fans as well and it’s just absolutely incredible to share this with them.”

While the drivers’ crown is secured, there’s still all to play for in the teams’ title race in tomorrow’s season finale in London, with Envision Racing heading the way from the factory Jaguar TCS Racing squad while TAG Heuer Porsche clings to third with a mathematical chance of the top spot.

Cassidy on pole for London E-Prix 1 after penalty for Evans

There was good and and bad news for Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing in qualifying for today’s first race of the doubleheader in London that will settle the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship titles. Evans came out on top in a square fight …

There was good and and bad news for Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing in qualifying for today’s first race of the doubleheader in London that will settle the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship titles. Evans came out on top in a square fight against title rival Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) in the Duels final. But it’s Cassidy who’ll take to P1 on the grid after Evans was served with a five-place grid penalty for a collision in Rome.

Cassidy may head into Saturday’s race P1 on the grid but it’s Evans who takes the all-important three points for setting the fastest time in the Duels final. These points created a big swing in the teams’ standings, as Jaguar tries to chase both Envision and TAG Heuer Porsche for the title. Drivers’ championship leader Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) qualified third and will start on the front row for the race where he can clinch his first Formula E crown. After the penalty, Evans will start Round 15 from sixth on the grid.

Evans went against Cassidy in the finale, and with both drivers pushing to their absolute limits Cassidy appeared to kiss the wall on his lap. As a result, Evans emerged victorious, but it will be Cassidy who starts in that important P1 slot for the race in just a few hours. Lining up alongside him is Dennis, a copy of the Rome grid but in the opposite order. The drivers who started first and second in the two London races last year, finished first and second in the races too. Will history repeat itself?

Dennis targets Formula E title for Andretti at London finale

Britain’s Jake Dennis is on the brink of claiming his first world championship title as the Avalanche Andretti Formula E team driver goes into the final two races of the electric racing series’ season in front of home fans on a track where he has …

Britain’s Jake Dennis is on the brink of claiming his first world championship title as the Avalanche Andretti Formula E team driver goes into the final two races of the electric racing series’ season in front of home fans on a track where he has won twice before.

A repeat of his victory last time out on the streets of Rome would be enough to seal a first ABB Formula E world championship title for Dennis in the opening race of the Hankook London E-Prix doubleheader on Saturday. But as this season has proved time and again, anything can happen in Formula E races.

Races 15 and 16 will settle what has been arguably the most competitive and entertaining season in Formula E history. The introduction of the series’ third generation race car this year has led to a number of Formula E records falling including the fastest lap and the most overtakes, lead changes and different leaders in a race.

There have been seven different winners representing six different teams, with only TAG Heuer Porsche able count both their drivers as winners. Eleven drivers have made it to the podium and 19 drivers have led a lap. 

Dennis is one of four drivers who quickly got to grips with their new EV technology and battled for supremacy all season long as the championship returned to established circuits in Berlin, Mexico City, Diriyah, Jakarta, Monaco and Rome, while debuting in no less than four cities — Hyderabad, Cape Town, São Paulo and Portland.

He has 50% more Duels appearances than any other driver in qualifying and last time out in Rome, he became the only driver to have won lights to flag in the GEN3 era. Couple those records with the joint-largest standings lead this season, tied with TAG Heuer Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein’s post-Brazil advantage at 24 points, and a podium tally of nine, two more than next best Nick Cassidy, and Dennis is sitting pretty.

The action has been wilder than ever in Formula E with the Gen3 cars. Alastair Staley/Motorsport Images

Wehrlein set the early pace after finishing second to Dennis in the GEN3 debut in Mexico City followed by a doubleheader sweep in Diriyah. Wehrlein wouldn’t return to the podium until winning Round 10 in Jakarta but consistent points in the intervening races kept him in in touch at the top.

Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy took control in midseason, claiming five podiums in six races from Rounds 4 to 9 including back-to-back wins in Berlin and Monaco to emerge as a strong championship contender.

Meanwhile, Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing entered the title picture in Round 6 in Brazil after a frustrating start to the GEN3 era for the Kiwi kept him off the podium. But Evans followed success in São Paulo with a win in the Berlin opening race to force his way into the title conversation. From midseason it was Cassidy, Dennis and Wehrlein edging the lead in the championship, often separated by just a single point, with Evans staying in close contention.

That all changed in the final stop on Formula E’s 10-city world tour before the London finale. On the sweltering streets of Rome and what is regarded as the most challenging circuit in the series, the biggest crash in Formula E history in Saturday’s race was the main talking point. But Evans secured avoided the carnage to take the win, while second for Cassidy put him a point beyond Dennis who could only finish fourth.

In the second race in Rome, Cassidy and Evans were in close formation hunting down Dennis for the race lead in the closing stages, when sharp braking caused Evans to lose control of the back of his car, clipping Dennis ahead of him, before going fully airborne and hitting the top of Cassidy’s car. Evans had to retire while Cassidy limped to P14, both losing critical points.

The dramatic incidents in Rome highlighted the uniquely intense, high-risk nature of wall-to-wall street racing in Formula E with no margin of error.

The impact on the drivers’ world championship was equally significant as Dennis delivered the most dominant performance of the season, claiming a Formula E grand slam – pole position, fastest lap and the race win — while leading the entire race from lights to checkered flag.

The result propelled Dennis to the top of the leader board with a 24-point advantage over Cassidy in second. Evans is 44 points back in third while Wehrlein still has a mathematical chance of the top spot at 49 points behind Dennis, with 25 points available for each race win, and 18 points for second (plus three points for pole position and one for the fastest lap).

The teams’ championship is also wide open and likely to go to the final race. Envision Racing leads the table by 14 points over TAG Heuer Porsche, while Jaguar TCS Racing is third with 228 points.

Formula E returns to East London’s historic docklands and the ExCeL events arena in the London Borough of Newham. The 2.09km/1.3-mile, 20-turn track starts off indoors on a silky-smooth surface offering plenty of grip, and after a quick succession of corners the track heads outside. Immediately on exit the Formula E cars will touch a strip of slippery metal, before heading down into the outdoor portion with the highly abrasive asphalt surrounding the exhibition center.

The outside features a flowing set of chicanes prime for passing opportunities. From there it’s a quick run down to a twisty set of curves before heading back up and inside the main hall to finish a lap. With changes in surface, elevation and dealing with the shift in lighting, the field face a unique challenge with this indoor and outdoor circuit.

Saturday’s race will air on CBS, while Sunday’s season finale will be available on CBS Sports Network. Free Practice Sessions and Quali will be live on CBSSports.com as well as the CBS Sports App.

Evans wins opening race of Rome E-Prix doubleheader

Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) became the first polesitter to stride to victory in Rome in Hankook Rome E-Prix Round 13. The first race of the weekend doubleheader was itself a race of two halves, split by a massive multi-car shunt involving his …

Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) became the first polesitter to stride to victory in Rome in Hankook Rome E-Prix Round 13. The first race of the weekend doubleheader was itself a race of two halves, split by a massive multi-car shunt involving his teammate Sam Bird and several other drivers.

Polesitter Evans was jumped by Bird off the line, with Jaguar looking like playing it tactically, ensuring the New Zealander could conserve energy in the slipsteam behind the sister I-TYPE 6.

The pair swapped back after the opening throes of the race before Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan) made it by Bird first and then Evans for the race lead through the first round of ATTACK MODE power boost activations and a brief break in the action for a safety car while Andre Lotterer’s car was recovered after the German found the wall.

High drama on lap 9 saw multiple cars caught up in a massive shunt at the quickest part of the track with Bird losing the rear of his Jaguar over the tricky, rapid and undulating section between Turns 6 and 7.

Sebastien Buemi’s Envision Racing clipped back end of the Jaguar on his way through — the Swiss narrowly missing a square-on impact, though still suffering severe and terminal damage to his car. Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) flew into the side of Bird’s I-TYPE 6 as it sat stricken in the middle of the circuit while several other drivers picked their way through and escaped with minor damage — including championship contender Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche). That meant big ramifications for the teams and drivers — who all thankfully escaped unharmed in testament to the GEN3 Formula E car’s resilience — as well as the potential final destination of the title; standings leader Dennis himself also coming within inches of a big race-ending smash.

Fourteen cars made the restart, with Fenestraz heading the pack away with Evans in tow. From there, Dennis seized the initiative, passing Evans with a sweeping move around the outside of the Jaguar driver through Turn 5 before slicing by Fenestraz for the lead on lap 13. Evans and Cassidy followed by the Nissan in quick succession and after the former missed his second ATTACK MODE activation, it looked like Dennis’s race to lose.

However, the Jaguar driver put in the fastest lap of the race twice on the bounce and made amends to pass Dennis for the lead on lap 22. The Brit exclaimed he was a “sitting duck,” down on energy targets to those around him and the ease at which Cassidy pinched second from him showed as much.

Evans closed it out from there easily, heading home Cassidy while Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) also dispatched Dennis for third at the flag. The Andretti driver had it all on defending to the line from Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske). He did hold fast, though, with Vergne following fifth under severe pressure from Nico Mueller for his and ABT CUPRA’s best result of the season.

“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,” said Evans. “After that I was a little bit down on energy compared to Nick and Jake, so I had to try and equalize 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 Mode. 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.

“Four wins here is amazing — not sure what it is about this place, but I love the track. We obviously have another day tomorrow, 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.”

The second race in the Hankook Rome E-Prix takes place Sunday, starting at 9:00am ET. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship then concludes with Rounds 15 and 16 in London on the weekend of July 29 and 30.

 

Jaguar goes one-two in Berlin E-Prix with Maserati third

Mitch Evans and Sam Bird executed a perfect strategy in the opening race of the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header to secure a show-stopping one-two for team Jaguar TCS Racing. Maximillian Gunther in third put the iconic Maserati trident on the …

Mitch Evans and Sam Bird executed a perfect strategy in the opening race of the 2023 SABIC Berlin E-Prix double-header to secure a show-stopping one-two for team Jaguar TCS Racing. Maximillian Gunther in third put the iconic Maserati trident on the podium for the first time since returning to single-seater motorsport this season following a hiatus of more than 60 years.

In a deeply strategic yet fiercely competitive race, the capacity crowd filling the grandstands of the Tempelhof Airport Circuit witnessed 190 overtakes, 53 lead changes and eight different leaders taking charge – all breaking previous Formula E records.

Round seven of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was already marked down in record books before the race began – Pascal Wehrlein and his TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team both leading the points standings going into their home race in Germany.

The race was also the European debut of the GEN3 – the world’s fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car – and the cutting-edge EV lived up to its potential as the first formula car specifically designed for wheel-to-wheel racing on high-speed street circuits.

Throughout the 43 laps, a record number of drivers took charge of the race as the teams’ strategies emerged, with an early surge of front-runners electing to take ATTACK MODE early on and those further back running for longer.

Dan Ticktum (NIO 333 Racing) launched into the lead in stunning style with a move around the outside of Turn 1, right by Julius Baer Polesitter Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing), Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE).

After the lead group jumped for their second 50kW boosts, the racing settled for just three laps before Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) and Vandoorne pushed to the front. Glancing at the timing screens yielded a different race leader at almost every stage as positions changed almost continuously. The first of two spells under the safety car compounded things further with the field split by just over 5s going into the second half of the race.

Quick-starting Ticktum had been shuffled into the top 10 until he and Vandoorne came into heavy contact, deploying the safety car for the second time. The Jaguar pair and Buemi then fought to fill out the top three spots after Gunther had briefly taken P1 as the race headed into its closing stages. The Jaguar-powered cars went on to assert their new-found dominance and pace, with Gunther looking to pick up the pieces as the front three challenged for the race lead.

Evans managed to edge second-placed Bird on the exit of the hairpin with a good run down the start/finish straight to make a lunge into Turn 1 stick for the lead on Buemi as the race headed into three added laps. The Kiwi was able to get the jump and pull away, extending a 0.750s lead with two full laps remaining as Bird hassled Buemi for second just behind in the sprint to the finish.

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Bird’s incessant efforts paid off as he took the gamble to brake late in the approach to the Airplane turn and squeeze by Buemi for the second spot, sealing Jaguar TCS Racing’s first one-two in Formula E.

Gunther then broke the Jaguar-power stranglehold as he fired up the inside of Buemi at the final turn to prevent a second consecutive 1-2-3 for the I-TYPE 6. The Maserati MSG Racing’s podium is the first under the Italian marque and builds nicely for the Monegasque/Italian team following an unexpectedly disappointing start to the season as they head to their two “home” races in Monaco on May 6 and the Rome doubleheader on July 15-16.

“The last race was special having us both on the podium and also with Nick, all Jaguar powertrains on the podium,” Evans said after the race. “At this one, it’s extra special because it’s a one-two for the team and a really hard race to manage. It got a bit chaotic out there. I wasn’t expecting a victory in this place. This place has haunted me for many years. So super happy to get a second win, but here it was unexpected. It’s full credit to everyone. Sam drove really well. He’s been quick all day. I was surprised to get in the front bunch so early. There was a lot of games being played out there and it was hard to manage but we got it done.”

Standings leader Pascal Wehrlein started all the way down in 15th and made up huge ground before slipping to ninth late on. Out of sight, the German driver made up good ground on that final lap to finish sixth with nine places and strong points gained, nullifying Nick Cassidy’s comparatively quiet and collected run to fifth position for Envision Racing. Jean-Éric Vergne (DS PENSKE) recovered from contact early-race to seventh spot, again, another important if unsung drive in the battle for points.

Wehrlein heads into round eight tomorrow in Berlin with a standings lead and 94 points. Cassidy is second with Vergne doing enough to retain third position. TAG Heuer Porsche’s early season dominance however is coming under severe and increasing pressure from the Jaguar-powered cars.

Evans leads all-Jaguar Formula E podium in Sao Paulo

Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) led home a one-two-three for the Jaguar powertrain, with Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) crossing the line together. The trio finished just half a second apart to close out an …

Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) led home a one-two-three for the Jaguar powertrain, with Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) crossing the line together. The trio finished just half a second apart to close out an enthralling inaugural Julius Baer São Paulo E-Prix in front of more than 23,000 passionate motorsport fans.

It was a flat out push to the finish at the rapid 11-turn São Paulo Street Circuit, with Evans managing to navigate his way through constant position changes through the pack to take the checkered flag first from third on the grid. The New Zealander took the initiative and the race lead from his compatriot Cassidy as the race headed into laps added-on following multiple safety car incidents.

His move on lap 32 proved to be decisive, with neither Cassidy nor Evans’ teammate Bird able to undo the leader’s defensive driving — despite Bird having collected a couple of extra percentage points of usable energy during his climb from 10th on the grid at the start. Cassidy had led the race more than once but will be more than satisfied to score three consecutive podiums for the first time in his Formula E career.

Defending world champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) started in Julius Baer Pole Position and led the way early on, fending off António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) during the first round of ATTACK MODE activations until the race reached its half-way stage.

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The lead was almost impossible to track on lap 14 with three or four changes over that tour alone and Cassidy coming out on top.

Vandoorne would end up sixth after struggling for usable energy from his time at the front. Da Costa had slipped to fourth and briefly made inroads on the podium but wound up settling just outside the top three. Jean-Éric Vergne (DS PENSKE) headed his teammate home for an eventual fifth spot.

Standings leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) had it all to do from 18th on the grid and managed to slice his way through the pack to 7th position at the checkered flag with Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) finishing eighth, just ahead of teammate René Rast in ninth and with Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing) rounding out the top 10. Meanwhile, Jake Dennis(Avalanche Andretti Formula E) suffered another non-finish after contact from Dan Ticktum’s NIO 333 saw his 99X Electric shoved into Wehrlein’s Porsche.

Wehrlein maintains his Drivers’ World Championship lead on 86pts from Dennis with 62pts, while Cassidy moves into third just a point behind the Brit. TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team heads Envision Racing 144pts to 103pts with Jaguar TCS Racing third on 83pts.