Mitch Evans has said that missing out on pole position for the final race of Formula E's Season 5 campaign cost him the Drivers' Championship.
In the approach to the double-header event in New York City, the Jaguar Racing driver had an outside chance of taking the title, trailing leader Jean-Eric Vergne by 43 points after taking his second podium of the season in Bern.
Taking second in the first race of the weekend which saw Vergne miss out on the top 10, however, Evans ensured that his championship hopes rolled over to the final race of the season, trailing the Frenchman by 25 points with 29 still on offer.
In qualifying for Race 2, the Kiwi narrowly missed out on a spot in the Super Pole shootout, removing his chances of taking pole position and therefore the chance of taking three bonus points.
Despite missing out on the top 10 entirely in Race 2, however, after getting caught up in an accident with Lucas di Grassi on the final lap of the race, Evans believes that him missing out on pole position is what cost him his maiden Formula E title:
"I tried my best and gave it everything," said the New Zealander.
"Obviously, when you are heading into the final race with a chance of finishing the season in first, or more realistically, second place, it’s disappointing to end up finishing fifth.
"I knew I needed pole to really have a crack at taking the championship, so to miss out by half a tenth was a real shame, and that’s what cost me the championship.
"We’ve made great progress as a team – particularly in the second half of the season – so we should all be really proud.
"The guys have given me a great racecar in the I-TYPE 3, and we’ve shown great pace, so I’m grateful for that."
After losing sixth place on the final lap of the race, Evans finished the season in fifth in the Drivers' Championship, getting overtaken in the standings by Race 1 winner Sebastien Buemi and Race 2 winner Robin Frijns.
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