Jaguar's Mitch Evans emerged triumphant in a thrilling Hankook Rome E-Prix, a race that became a two-part affair after proceedings were red flagged following a massive multi-car collision.
Evans' victory was his third consecutive win in the Eternal City and has brought the Kiwi back in the fight for the Formula E world title.
With three more rounds to go – tomorrow's second race in Rome and London's double-header at the end of the month – championship leader Nick Cassidy, who finished second on Saturday leads the standings by five points from Jake Dennis, with Evans 20 points adrift.
Starting from pole position, Evans initially lost the lead to his Jaguar teammate Sam Bird at the start of the race, as the team strategically aimed to utilize the slipstream effect, allowing Evans to conserve energy behind Bird.
However, the Jaguar pair eventually swapped positions in the early stages of the race. As the first round of ATTACK MODE activations took place and a Safety Car period was initiated due to an off by Andre Lotterer, Nissan's Sacha Fenestraz managed to overtake both Bird and Evans, the Frenchman assuming the lead.
But the race took a dramatic turn on Lap 9 when a massive collision occurred at the fastest section of the track, involving multiple cars.
BIG shunt.
Multiple drivers are out of the @Hankook_Sport #RomeEPrix following this nasty accident. pic.twitter.com/VskBzDYafM
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) July 15, 2023
Bird had lost control of his Jaguar on the challenging and undulating stretch between Turns 6 and 7. Sebastien Buemi narrowly avoided a direct impact but still sustained significant damage as his car clipped the rear of Bird's Jaguar.
Maserati's Edoardo Mortara then collided with Bird's stranded car, while other drivers managed to navigate through the chaos with only minor damage, including championship contender Pascal Wehrlein.
Although all drivers involved were unharmed, the incident had significant implications for the teams and drivers, potentially affecting the outcome of the championship.
Championship leader Jake Dennis also avoided a costly and painful race-ending crash by mere inches.
Envision Racing's Nick Cassidy
Following the standing restart, with fourteen cars remaining in the field and 16 laps to go, Fenestraz led the pack with Evans in pursuit.
However, it was Dennis who seized the initiative, executing a brilliant overtaking maneuver around the outside of Evans at Turn 5, before swiftly passing Fenestraz's Nissan for the lead on Lap 13.
In rapid succession, Evans and Cassidy were followed by the Nissan, and with Evans missing his second ATTACK MODE activation, it appeared that Dennis had the race under control.
However, the Jaguar driver quickly redeemed himself by setting the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap twice in a row and successfully overtaking Dennis to reclaim the lead on Lap 22. As the latter struggled to meet energy targets compared to his competitors, Cassidy effortlessly snatched second place.
Evans comfortably maintained his lead until the checkered flag, crossing the finish line ahead of Cassidy, while Maximilian Guenther of Maserati secured third, overtaking Dennis in the process.
Despite intense pressure from Jean-Eric Vergne of DS Penske, Dennis successfully defended his position, securing fifth place and marking ABT CUPRA's best result of the season.
Wehrlein managed to recover to seventh place despite an earlier pit stop and sustaining additional damage in the mid-race crash, which could prove crucial in the title battle.
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