EVANS RULES THE ROOST IN ROME
Mitch Evans and Jaguar scooped a rare Formula E double after dominant performances on the undulating Rome Street track thrust the Big Cat into a potential 2022 title fight it once looked unlikely to join.
It was the first clean sweep by a driver since Antonio Felix da Costa took two wins at Berlin Tempelhof in August 2020 and thrust Evans into the title chase after he accrued just one point from the opening three races in Saudi Arabia and Mexico City.
Evans’ weekend started off with no hint he could pull off the perfect result as he and his team gambled on staying out in the group qualifying session and suffered as his Michelin all-weather tyres overheated.
This contributed to a ninthplace grid start, but after he cleared the Porsche pair Andre Lotterer and Pascal Wehrlein on the opening lap, he surged through the field to execute a perfect strategy.
After he overtook polesitter Stoffel Vandoorne he opened up an unassailable buffer to take his second win in Rome after his maiden Formula E win in 2019.
Tailing the Kiwi to the chequered flag was Robin Frijns who was able to jump Vandoorne who completed the podium.
Evans’ teammate at Jaguar TCS Racing, Sam Bird, took fifth place behind Jean-Eric Vergne’s DS Techeetah, rising from a lowly 13th on the grid.
Evans reprised his heroics in Sunday’s race, but this time he only had to come through from fourth position on the grid.
Evans need some subtle assistance from team-mate Bird who was able to get amongst polesitter Vergne and delay the DS Techeetah driver enough for Evans to pull out an ultimate race winning gap.
Not even a late safety car and a resulting one lap sprint to the line compromised Evans who took the win from Vergne and Frijns who grabbed his second podium of the weekend.
Bird ultimately retired with damage after collecting Frijns’ team-mate Nick Cassidy and