After a slow start to the Formula E season, Mitch Evans has found his groove with three wins, putting the Championship within reach.
Following his win at the first-ever Jakarta E-Prix, Mitch Evans sat down for a chat with the media roundtable. The Jaguar driver discussed finding success so far this season, the upcoming schedule, his ideal location for Formula E to visit in the future, the potential for more night races, and when he will get to test the Gen3 car.
Thoughts on winning the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix?
Mitch Evans: It was quite a special victory. It was the first event we’ve had in Jakarta and there was a very, very passionate, educated set of fans that welcomed us with open arms, which was great. This was one of those races where it sort of threw every challenge possible at us from a technical point of view, from the track layer being brand new, the temperature and humidity, etc. So it is great to come away with the first win there.
Jakarta was your third win of the season and fifth Formula E victory overall, which moves you into 6th best all time. How do you reflect on hitting that mark?
Mitch Evans: Yeah, it has not been an easy road. It took me a few seasons to get my first victory. Then last year, I didn’t actually win a race, but I had the most podiums. As a driver, you always strive to win and get the championship. To get three race wins midway through this season is pretty good. Obviously, I am benefiting a little bit from the new qualifying format, which is a bit fairer for everyone. Winning is always the target, right? But they’re just so hard to get together. You need everything to be perfect. You need the system set up, the energy management strategy, and driving, it’s just so many variables have to come together to even have a chance of victory. So yeah, to get this many so far in the season is really encouraging and hopefully, we don’t stop there.
There are four circuits left for Formula E to visit this season – Marrakesh, New York City, London, and Seoul. Which of those do you believe best suits your driving style and the setup on this season’s Jaguar?
Mitch Evans: Last time we were in Marrakesh we were very fast. I had a mistake qualifying, even though we ended up with the quickest lap. The race this time will be a lot different since we normally race there in January or February. Last year in New York, Sam won, I should have been a second, but had an incident. But that should be a pretty good track for us. London as well should be good, as we got a podium the last year. I haven’t seen the layout for Seoul yet, but those other three should be good opportunities for us.
Jaguar recently completed their first test day with the Gen3 car. Do you have any sessions planned for when you will get a chance to season 9 car?
Mitch Evans: I’ve only had a slight simulation in the model, but that was a bit off with what we rolled out last week. I’ll probably be getting into a test in the next few weeks. It looks quite exciting. The performance upgrade is quite big. From a technical point of view, there are a lot of learning opportunities, so I’m looking forward to that new challenge coming up.
The only driver to win 3 races this season … and there are still 7 races to go 👀#ReimagineRacing pic.twitter.com/Hr5GRuOVRw
— Jaguar TCS Racing (@JaguarRacing) June 14, 2022
If you could add a city to a future Formula E schedule which would it be and why? Or would you prefer to lobby that the entire season plays out only in Rome (3 wins from 6 races)?
Mitch Evans: Ha, yeah that would be nice (Rome). Of course, my answer would be my home city of Auckland. I’ve never had a proper home race. Monaco is kind of a defacto home race, but that is not my home soil. There was a feasibility study conducted a few years ago, but unfortunately that it didn’t happen. It’s still a possibility down the line, but that would definitely be my preferred addition.
What are your thoughts on Formula E adding more night races in the future?
Mitch Evans: I think it’s very much dependent on the city and financially I think it’s quite expensive to set up the lights. Logistically I imagine it would be more work. Perhaps some of these locations where it’s like a bit on the limit with the climate during the day could make sense. We’ve obviously got one, but another light race would be awesome. But where it is doesn’t really worry me. London I guess is kind of half of a night race as we go inside but a bit. But I think Formula E would like to add one more in the future.
Mitch Evans and Formula E return to action on July 2nd in Marrakesh.
