Before the first race in Berlin, The Girls Who – Motorsport talked with Jaguar TCS driver Mitch Evans about the announcement that broke earlier that week about his exit from Jaguar. Post-race, the Kiwi spoke about his win from P17 and how strategy worked in his favour.
A Ten-Year Partnership Comes to an End
On Monday, news broke that Evans is set to leave Jaguar TCS Racing at the end of this season. Ending a decade-long partnership, as Evans expresses his desire for a new challenge. He explains that the decision was made with some difficulty, as he is “part of the furniture“; however, “things have to come to an end at a point.” Evans has had a successful stint with the team overall. Together they currently have 16 wins under their belt and are fighting for points at the front.
The end of this comes before the beginning of the GEN4 Era. Though there has been no confirmation of where Evans will be next season, he did explain that “with the GEN4 coming up, we thought it was a good opportunity to part ways.”
The Importance of Attack Mode
Berlin promotes exciting on-track action, especially as it is a track that you can easily overtake on. Evans expresses that this is the kind of race “that will be won around the attack moments“. According to him, ATTACK MODE is a very important strategy call on a track like Berlin.
On a track with slow-speed corners, the four-wheel acceleration is even more powerful there. Historically, Jaguar TCS Racing has been successful in maximising their position on track through ATTACK MODE. An advantage Evans looked forward to during the past weekend.
A Strategic Call Works Well
The second race of the Berlin E-Prix showed Evans qualifying in P17. Though it may seem disappointing to qualify so low, this was a strategic move. Evans admits that his tyre strategy for Quali was intentional, and he aimed to “be starting towards the back“.
The Kiwi notes that other drivers were also on the same strategy, which meant that he “qualified P17, but it didn’t really change much because once I went out, I was 20th.“ Despite being last on the grid, Evans was confident in his comeback. His position brought him in the end an energy advantage, which meant he was able to push when it mattered. A call — that was the defining difference that earned Evans his win in Berlin’s second round.
His victory on Sunday highlighted again Evans’ decade-long partnership with Jaguar. When The Girls Who – Motorsport asked Evans when he knew to push during the race, he explained the mutual building of trust in his team. Despite it being “his decision to push,” he acknowledged that it was “the team’s guidance, patience and clear instructions” that helped him pull the race win off.
Unfinished Business With the Team
Despite the many memorable victories with the team, there’s still one goal to check, a championship title with Jaguar TCS Racing. The 31-year-old explains that this unfinished business is the thing he is chasing with the team. He hopes that “if fate is on (his) side, it would be the best way to leave.“ This way, years of consistent effort will fall down to the last few races, and all eyes will be on Evans and if he can achieve this ultimate motorsport goal.
Looking Ahead to Monaco
In two weeks, Formula E will be back on track, this time in the ‘Jewel of Motorsport’ – Monaco. A track that focuses more on one-lap pace and qualifying positions. Evans has expressed that previously, “it had never been an issue“, but this season, he has found that “one lap has been a bit of an issue, and I am trying to pull all that together.”‘
Due to the narrow streets, Evans needs to get this right because track position is important for this race. If he qualifies well, he avoids spending the race trying to overtake traffic. It will be crucial for him to obtain every point he can, especially on a track where he has had past successes.