Evans started third and on lap 7 worked through the Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa, who were paired by pole-sitter Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) and Nissan’s Olivier Rolland – Attack. MODE to maintain track status while observing their power levels.
Results: Full Shanghai e-Prix Round 11 classification
The top six looked to be where the pack needed to be to hit the front quarter of the field, moving away from the mid-back melee and positioning themselves for a potential podium push.
At the halfway point – lap 16 – the Porsches, Wehrlein of da Costa, Evans – the Jaguar driver regained the lead due to their close company, although nothing separated the field as each car ran nose to tail. The Stuttgart outfit maneuvered its cars in unison, preventing Evans from moving forward from behind, holding the Jaguar back into that long, sweeping Turn 1.
However, by lap 19, Evans had one per cent of power in hand and was able to cut by da Costa through Sector 1, while sister Jaguar TCS Racing’s standings leader Nick Cassidy had two per cent of power over the leading leaders. By lap 23, Cassidy had moved up to fourth and had three percent of the power on the leading trio of Verlin, Evans and da Costa.
Defending champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) briefly found himself out of the top four before the Jaguars’ power advantage made itself clear – Cassidy was held by da Costa for third.
Wehrlein was two percent short of energy for the Jaguars and was forced into every defensive maneuver in the book to stop the pair. The decisive move for the lead came at the end, after a failed move at the hairpin a lap earlier, Evans overtook the German’s resistance on the final lap.
Evans ran across the outside of Wehrlein to get into P1 and take the flag firmly, while the Porsche overcame Cassidy at the final turn – the championship leader finished third and had to watch with his nose held for the last time. Oliver Rowland’s Late Lunch on stage.
Da Costa finished fifth, Dennis sixth and Vergne seventh from first on the grid at lights out. Nyck de Vries scored his first points for the Mahindra team, leading early in the session and finishing eighth. Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther and Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi rounded out the top 10. Guenther then earned a 10-second penalty, elevating DS PENSKE’s Stoffel Vandoorne to the points.
Rowland finished third in the drivers’ standings with 155 points on 142 points. Jaguar TCS Racing’s advantage in the teams’ standings is now 66 points, having won three of the last four races.
Next up, round 12 tomorrow, 26 May in Shanghai.
As it happened…
Polesitter Vergne launched cleanly and led into Turn 1, while Rolland dropped down from second and was immediately passed by Wehrlein and Evans. Through Lap 1 the field ran three cars wide. Vergne led the Porsche of Wehrlein and da Costa – the pair preferred to work together early on, with the latter jumping the group of cars into the final complex of corners.
Wehrlein was the first driver to get his first mandatory 50kW Attack Mode power boost – he and Rolland were the only ones to jump into the top 10 runners on Lap 3. Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) was briefly in P1 before he took the opening two. -Minute attack mode boost hands Wehrlein the lead back on lap 4 -German title Vergne and da Costa.
Porsche’s teamwork continued as da Costa took his initial attack mode activation at the start of lap 5 and dropped back behind teammate Wehrlein. A lap later, the points changed again with Verlin implementing his second 50kW boost. Running two-for-two allowed both drivers to take advantage of running more efficiently in the slipstream, while maintaining track position out-front.
Jaguar’s Evans put himself out of the top three on Lap 7, splitting the Porsche through Turn 1, and a lap later, the Kiwi took the lead as he stayed around the outside of Wehrlein and cleared Turn 1 on the right. On lap 8, Vergne jumped both Evans and Wehrlein to reclaim P1, three wide for the lead heading into the final chicane.
The DS driver took attack mode on lap 10 and dropped back into the pack, splitting the entire field within seconds. Mahindra’s De Vries, Werlin, Rowland, Evans, Dennis and Da Costa led from the top six, although everything was changing corner to corner.
The top six looked to be where the pack needed to be to hit the front quarter of the field, moving away from the mid-back melee and positioning themselves for a potential podium push.
Evans took the lead once again on lap 13, with the Porsches and Vergne still biding their time in those top four spots and waiting for their moment. By the half-way stage the top 10 runners had used all of their 50kW Attack Mode boosts, apart from reigning champion Dennis – what remained was a 15-lap battle towards the flag for the highest finishing position.
Berlin winner Cassidy found himself in the top six and two per cent of the energy available to the good guys. Can the standings leader do it again as he cruises to a 21st win in Germany?
The Porsche pair, Verlaine of Da Costa, retook the lead on lap 16 with Evans – the Jaguar driver their closest company, although nothing separated the field as each car ran nose to tail. The Stuttgart outfit rallied, preventing any forward movement from behind Evans, with the Jaguar blocking at Turn 1.
However, on lap 19, Evans had one per cent of power in hand and was able to cut by Da Costa through Sector 1, while Cassidy’s sister Jaguar TCS Racing had two per cent of power ahead of the leaders. Come lap 23, Cassidy moved up to fourth and had three percent of the power in the lead three.
When Dennis finally went on the attack and took third, Verlin allowed Evans to leapfrog and take the lead. The Brit then took second on Wehrlein – not a battle in which either driver would give an inch.
However, Dennis would have his hands full with Cassidy, who made a move into the final precinct, while Verlin overtook Evans to lead the final three laps – with the top 10 separated by a second.
Evans moved into the lead into the hairpin on lap 27, but Wehrlein fought hard to hold him off – despite two laps for leading pair Cassidy, Da Costa finished third. Jaguar gearbox.
Wehrlein held on to P1 with all the defensive moves in the book during the event, but on the final lap at Turn 1, Evans overtook the German’s opposition – right outside Turn 1. That allowed Cassidy to attack the Porsche for second, but the standings leader was unable to do so, holding off Rowland for the last time, finishing third after clipping his front wing through the final turn.