Mitch Evan’s championship winning hopes have ended before he even crossed the starting line at the final round of the Formula E championship.
An alarm sounded in the Kiwi’s car immediately after he tried to launch from the grid. It was if he had stalled his car but as the vehicles are electric it was an electrical issue that occurred milliseconds after Evans accelerated off the line.
His car stopped instantaneously while the rest of the field moved around him except for Edoardo Mortara who did not see the stationary Jaguar Racing car. Mortara flew into the back of Evans with substantial force, destroying the back of Evans car and likewise the front of Mortara’s.
The race was then consequently red flagged and the rest of the field returned to the grid as the cars were taken back to the garages and the debris cleared.
Here is how it unfolded:
With only 5 points separating the top 4 drivers it seemed all set for Evans to drive to victory of the race and the driver’s championship. His rivals all qualified at least 9th or below giving the Kiwi plenty of breathing space to show his pace in the crucial final race.
But Evans’ championship contention was eliminated without crossing the starting line. He was fine after visiting the medical tent for a check up after the hefty backend collision.
In his post incident interview from the garage Evans was visibly emotional and disappointed as you can see here:
An absolutely disastrous situation and a gutting time for all Kiwi racing fans, Mitch Evans, the Jaguar racing team, and all Formula E fans. Evans was the favourite to win after his brilliant 3rd place finish in the first race of the weekend as well as his great qualifying session earlier in the morning.
Evans has resigned with Jaguar racing for next year’s season so it will be reassuring to know he can be up in those top spots fighting for the championship. After this unexpected colossal error, Evans will be hungrier than ever to win next year.
All the best for Evans as he tries to analyze and deal with his evident frustration and disappointment.
featured image source: eurosport