Kiwi Mitch Evans claims first win in Rome
Mitch Evans made history for Panasonic Jaguar Racing, claiming the team’s first ever ABB FIA Formula E win in Rome. It is Jaguar’s first international motorsport victory since 1991.
During a qualifying session plagued with intermittent rain showers, an impressive performance from Evans saw the Kiwi driver clinch P2 from Super Pole. Teammate Alex Lynn claimed a ninth-place qualifying, before being penalised for exceeding the maximum power limit and started at P21.
An early collision at turn 17/18 caused a pile-up of several cars and brought out a red flag.
Evans drove confidently at the restart and managed to overtake Andre Lotterer with Attack Mode at turn 11 for the lead of the race. Despite Lotterer activating Attack More a lap later, the Kiwi driver defended well and held onto his first win in the series.
The Panasonic Jaguar Racing team will now prepare for the Paris E-Prix on April 27.
“Seeing Panasonic Jaguar Racing on the top of the podium is a fantastic moment and I’m so proud of all of the team – many of whom have been here since the beginning of season three when we first entered the championship," says James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team director.
"For a long time we’ve been saying that we have a good racecar and that we have good pace, it was just about getting all of the pieces together and that was the difference today.
"It wasn’t easy; Mitch delivered two great qualifying laps and an excellent Super Pole lap to put us on the front row. We’ve shown that if we qualify well, we can deliver great results. Mitch delivered a really mature, world-class performance today.
“It was a brilliant debut for Alex, he did exactly what we asked him to do. We were unfortunate that we had the infringement on the power limit, which wasn’t a performance related issue, but the rules are the rules. Without a doubt he’s a great addition to the team already and drove really well today.
“Now we look ahead to taking the confidence that today’s win will bring forward into the rest of the season and to push for more podiums this season."
"“This feels beautiful. It was a fantastic race," adds Evans. "The first few laps were tricky in the wet. After the red flag, I just wanted to stay steady.
"From early on I felt comfortable and my energy management was ahead of target so we decided to use it when it mattered. I wanted to use Attack Mode when Lotterer didn’t have it to gain that power difference. We had great pace from the beginning, so I really felt confident out there today.
"It’s been years since I had a win, so this really feels amazing. I’m so happy for the team, for everyone at Panasonic Jaguar Racing for all their hard work and to Jaguar Land Rover for their support over the past three seasons. This has really come at a great time.”
