Formula E Shanghai, 1st Race on 25th May 2024: Evans wins in a Jaguar

After more than four years, Formula E returned to China for the first time. And it brought two exciting race days. Let's start with Saturday, May 25, 2024, where Evans showed his skill: Starting from third place, he took the lead in lap 7 by overtaking pole-setter Jean-Éric Vergne (on DS Penske) and Oliver Rowland from Nissan. Evans also managed to overtake the two Porsche cars driven by Wehrlein and António Félix da Costa, while the duo was in ATTACK MODE, working together to maintain their position and effectively manage energy consumption.

At the forefront: familiar faces from Berlin

As the race progressed, the top six drivers fought for their positions to avoid chaos in the midfield and secure a podium spot. By halfway through lap 16, the Porsches, led by Wehrlein and closely followed by Evans, dominated the field in tight formation.

In lap 19, Evans used his slight energy advantage to overtake da Costa in Sector 1. Championship leader Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing managed to advance to fourth place by lap 23, with a significant energy surplus compared to the leaders.

The reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E Team) briefly joined the leading group, but the superior energy management of the Jaguars soon became evident. Cassidy overtook da Costa to take third place as the laps wound down.

In the end, it's always about energy

With a two percent energy deficit compared to the Jaguars, Wehrlein employed every defensive tactic to fend off Evans and Cassidy. The crucial moment came in the final lap when Evans, after a failed attempt at the hairpin, overtook Wehrlein on the outside and took the lead. Evans held this position to the finish line, while Cassidy challenged Wehrlein at the last moment and secured third place, narrowly ahead of a late attack by Rowland.

The top ten were rounded out by da Costa in fifth place, followed by Dennis and Vergne, who fell back to seventh despite starting from pole. Nyck de Vries secured his first points for Mahindra with eighth place. Maximilian Günther of Maserati MSG Racing and Sébastien Buemi of Envision Racing crossed the line in ninth and tenth, with a subsequent penalty for Günther promoting Stoffel Vandoorne of DS PENSKE into the points.