Mitch Evans took a last-gasp victory in a thrilling Formula E Berlin E-Prix, which saw mistakes and chaos ensue in the closing stages.
Qualifying in the morning threw several surprises, including the eliminations of Nico Muller, and both Nissans. Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato had elected the unsusal strategy of throwing their qualifying to focus on the race instead.
So it was left to Taylor Barnard and Pascal Wehrlein to battle for pole position, with the German taking the honours. But with the fast starting Barnard alongside, and a mixed up grid, the race would prove to be anything but easy.
Lights out and position swapping
At lights out, it was Taylor Barnard who took an early lead into the first corner and pulled away. Wehrlein, by comparison, started to go backwards, as he and others began to focus on energy saving. But with different strategies in play, his lead would not last long.
One of the big winners of the start was Nyck de Vries, determined to make up for a difficult qualifying. He surged from ninth to third on Lap 2, his Mahindra showing the same pace as teammate Mortara’s on Saturday.
Sebastien Buemi was another big mover, charging from 13th to second by Lap 3. By this stage, we had a new racer leader in the form of Nick Cassidy’s Citroen, but, he too would have only a brief stint in the coveted P1 slot.
Lap 4 saw constant position changes as differing energy strategies played out. Just one lap later, Envision Racing had a one-two, with rookie Joel Eriksson leading more experienced teammate Buemi. De Vries’ strong start proved to be vain however, as an incident saw the Dutchman forced to pit after damage to his Mahindra.
The top sixteen cars were now separated by just one second, with Jean Eric Vergne setting the fastest lap of the race on Lap 6, indicating speed was picking up. Felipe Drugovich by now had surged to third, with Cassidy the latest forced to pit due to contact.
The next several laps saw yet more flurries of positions won and lost, with more drivers coming through the field to lead from far back. Max Gunther took the lead on Lap 8 after charging from 14th, before Mortara enjoyed a stint from the front having started in 10th.
Attack Mode unleashes pace
Approaching the halfway stage, Gunther was back in front, leading an ultra-tight 17 car train following Envision’s brief second stint in the lead. But with energy management becoming critical, someone would soon have to make an Attack Mode move.
Having sacrificed qualifying to save energy for the race, Rowland suddenly came to the fore. On Lap 16 he had stormed from 18th to 1st, and immediatley began to pull away. This proved the catalyst for Attack Mode to finally be deployed for multiple drivers.
Vergne was a notable mover, closing the gap to Rowland using Attack Mode and setting the fastest lap in the process. The Frenchman took the lead on Lap 19, but would struggle to keep it. The second Nissan of Nato joined the party, taking the lead utilising his Attack Mode after languishing in 16th.
But, a driver who had quietly gone under the radar had now arrived to join the battle for the lead. After lining up a disappointing 17th, Evans had worked his way up to second, taking the lead on Lap 27. He instantly pulled away, consolidating his position.
With the top three all having started 16th or lower, the closing stages of the race would prove thrilling. Wehrlein and others began to attack the Jaguar, throwing everything they had at Evans, including Attack Mode. Evans weathered the storm, retaking the lead after briefly losing out to Wehrlein’s Porsche on Lap 33 when the German’s Boost expired.
With just five laps remaining, Evans held the lead, with Rowland chasing him down using his remaining Attack Mode, Wehrlein close behind. But on Lap 35, a full course yellow was thrown following contact between Muller and Da Costa, pausing the battle.
Heading into the final few laps, nothing but absolute perfection would do in order for Evans to seal the win, and Rowland and Wehrlein had now moved to within striking distance due to the full course yellow.
But, the New Zealander held firm, and took an unexpected win for Jaguar, with Rowland in second, and Wehrlein third, in a race of strategy and precision.
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