Mitch Evans took pole position for Race 1 of the Formula E London E-Prix, after a thrilling qualifying session that saw plenty of shocks in the order.
Evans defeated Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries in the final to secure pole on a track where his Jaguar package is always strong.
Pascal Wehrlein will line up in third, with Dan Ticktum fourth. Evans’ team-mate Nick Cassidy strengthens Jaguar’s hopes with fifth place.
Max Guenther will start sixth, followed by the Maserati pairing of Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes.
Edoardo Mortara was ninth, with Nico Mueller out-qualifying team-mate Jake Dennis with 10th.
Group A saw some shocks, with works Nissans of World Champion Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato out, followed by its customer McLarens.
It would be Berlin race-winner Nick Cassidy who went through quickest with a 1:08.785s, with Max Guenther second, nearly two tenths behind.
Nyck de Vries was fourth, with Dan Ticktum just sneaking through with a time half-a-tenth quicker than Nico Mueller.
Group B saw Pascal Wehrlein go through with a 1:08.690s, with Mitch Evans ensuring double Jaguar interest in the duels, but was two tenths down.
Jake Hughes and Stoffel Vandoorne snuck their Maseratis into the top four, condemning Antonio Felix da Costa, Edoardo Mortara and Jean-Eric Vergne as big casualites.
De Vries secures final place as Evans edges out Wehrlein
The first duel placed de Vries against Guenther, and the pair were barely separated in their respective laps, but the 1:07.547s of de Vries was ultimately faster by over a tenth, the German losing time in the final sector.
Duel number two placed Ticktum against Cassidy, and it would be the home favourite that stormed through, taking his place in the semi-finals by just 0.017s.
The third placed Hughes against Evans, now holding Jaguar’s hopes on his own, and the Kiwi’s 1:07.657s was enough to see him through by nearly two tenths.
Vandoorne and Wehrlein made up the final quarter-final and it would be the German that went through with 1:07.603s, against by nearly two tenths.
Onto the semi-finals, Ticktum was pitted against de Vries, and despite the home support, the Kiro could not make it through to the final, de Vries taking the spot with 1:07.643s, less than a tenth ahead.
Evans and Wehrlein would compete for a shot at pole in the second semi-final. Evans’ 1:07.301s saw him take the place in the final by just three hundredths.
The final looked like it could be Evans’ to lose given his recent form, and that’s how it proved to be, as he would take pole with a 1:07.205, nearly two tenths ahead of de Vries, although the Mahindra can still be proud of a valiant effort.
