Evans misses out on Formula E win

New Zealand driver Mitch Evans notched another Formula E podium finish in Monaco, but was ‘‘gutted’’ to be cruelly denied a win at Europe’s famous waterfront racing venue.

Evans used all his skills to snare a late lead but had to settle for third as his rivals swamped his draining Jaguar on the final lap.

Evans had used a lot of his car’s energy to get to the front and build what looked like a race-winning lead. But a late safety flag compressed the field and left him vulnerable.

Antonio Felix da Costa took advantage of Evans’ struggles to claim the chequered flag and Robin Frijn also sneaked past on the final pass to steal second place.

It was Evans’ third podium in seven races and lifted him back to third on the driver standings after missing out on any points in the last two races held in Valencia. But Evans, such a fan of Monaco, was disappointed not to snare a victory there.

‘‘I’m pretty gutted,’’ Evans said later. ‘‘Right now it hurts but when you look back, I got myself into that position because I burned energy under attack [mode].

‘‘I had track position, so I thought ‘OK let’s try and ride it out to the end’ but Antonio was too strong and was also good at sort of dummying me, and I had to consume more to try and keep him behind. So, I was really on the back foot.

‘‘But I knew he was going to come, I was just trying to delay for as long as possible but unfortunately we couldn’t make it work.

‘‘I think third is probably where I should have finished, but it hurts when you are leading with half a lap to go, and you are third, it sucks.

‘‘It hurts because Monaco is Monaco, everyone wants to win here. Third is great, but you want to get that first win around here.

‘‘I’ve got multiple podiums in other categories but not a win, and we came half a lap short unfortunately today.’’

The championship shifts to Mexico, where Evans has won last year, for rounds eight and nine, starting on June 19.