Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing take runner-up podium in majestic Monaco
Mitch Evans took his third podium of the season, with a runner-up finish on the iconic streets of Monaco.
Image supplied by Jaguar South Africa
The Kiwi started in sixth position after making it through to the qualifying Duels but was narrowly beaten by the Nissan of Norman Nato in the quarter finals. In the race, Mitch strategically climbed his way through the field and by lap 13 was leading the pack. Navigating the track with precision and speed, he tussled with the Jaguar-powered Envision of winner, Nick Cassidy, and defended well from the Andretti of Jake Dennis.
A late safety car that lasted for three laps dampened Mitch’s chances for further overtaking opportunities. Despite his determination and gallant effort, a second safety car meant he couldn’t progress further, and he had to settle for second place.
Sam Bird lined up in P16 after a challenging Qualifying session. Sam held his position off-the-line and started to work his way through the pack. He gained eight places and was up into P8 when he unfortunately missed the ATTACK MODE loops with three laps to go. This dropped him down to P10 where he crossed the line in the final point scoring position. Sam was given a post-race 5-second time penalty for causing a collision with the Nico Muller, meaning his final result is P16.
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy took his second race win in a row – a Jaguar-powered car has now won the last four races.
Jaguar TCS Racing remain third in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship teams’ standings but have added more impressive points to the championship campaign.
James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal:
“A runner-up podium in Monaco is something to be very pleased about and we were so close to that win. After a really intense race, I’m proud for the team to be able to step on the podium for the third year in a row here in Monaco. We’ve scored more really strong points, a great result and a fantastic drive from Mitch and the team. It was a testing race from start to finish but the team executed a solid energy management strategy. Unfortunately, the second to last safety car cost us the chance to fight for the win. Sam made great progress but unfortunately missed his last ATTACK MODE which dropped him back into the pack behind and then had the racing incident at the end of the race. Overall, I’m proud of the team for continuing to deliver great performance and points, there is a long way to go in the season and we now look forward to the double-header in Jakarta.”
Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #9:
“It’s been a solid day. Ultimately every race you turn up and you want to win so I am a little disappointed, particularly as it’s Monaco. However, if you look at the bigger picture, it’s a great haul of points and huge credit to Nick – he overtook me at the right time when I wasn’t expecting it. We still did a really great job and the whole team should be proud of themselves. There are still a lot of opportunities left this season and we’ll be giving it our all to keep moving forward.”
Sam Bird, Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #10:
“Today was a hard day. In the race I started to make good progress but it got quite messy in the middle and there were a couple of collisions. I missed the ATTACK MODE loops which meant I lost a place, without the benefit of the power. In the final couple of laps, I had a further collision. I’ll put this behind me and look forward to Jakarta.”
Jaguar TCS Racing heads to Jakarta, Indonesia for the Asian double-header in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on 3 and 4 June 2023.
