After pushing the accelerator in Berlin, Mitch Evans came to Monaco with high expectations of sneaking into the lead. However, he came up against a Nick Cassidy who combined strategy with audacity to take the top step of the podium.
With his drive last weekend, it is now five seasons with Jaguar TCS Racing on the streets of Monaco in Formula E. As the years have gone by, the racer has climbed up the ranks on the days in the Principality.
“I felt relatively good during the race,” Evans said after the competition, where he finished in box two for the second year in a row.
“The strategy involved meant that the positioning of the car is absolutely critical. You’ve got everyone doing different things to try to predict each other’s runs. It’s very tricky to accelerate because some guys are doing some crazy things,” he explained.
Related content: Disappointment at Porsche after Losing Formula E Championship Lead
Climbing up the Grid
Evans made his way up the grid, starting from sixth to lead early in the race. A fantastic battle between Evans, Cassidy and Jake Dennis’ Andretti Avalanche made for brilliant viewing as all three dared the famous street circuit.
Despite a late energy advantage after the Safety Car, Evans couldn’t make a move to make a splash.
“There were times in the race where I thought the win was for me,” he added. “The change to lead I thought was maybe a little early, but I felt good and I felt I had a slight energy advantage over Nick and Jake (Dennis) was coming in pretty hot as well.”
“I didn’t expect Nick to attack when he did – I would have defended harder if I could have re-run it, and I’ve been more aware. If I had left him behind for a couple more laps I think it would have been a different story,” he indicated.
After back-to-back wins in São Paulo and Berlin, and now another podium finish in Monaco, Evans is in fourth place in the World Drivers’ Championship. Two points ahead of him is Dennis, with TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein now being demoted to second in the standings behind Cassidy.