Berlin E-Prix: Evans sets the pace in damp FP3

The Jaguar driver, who won yesterday’s race at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit to make it back-to-back Formula E victories, moved to the top of the times with his final effort.

His 1m15.955s was approximately 10 seconds off the pace shown yesterday as drivers adapted to the slippery and treacherous conditions.

A red flag was deployed on the five-minute mark after Rene Rast was unable to restart his McLaren, which had come to a stop on the exit of Turn 3 immediately after leaving the pits at the start of the session.

Prior to the stoppage Abt drivers Robin Frijns and Nico Muller had moved to the top of the leaderboard and at the resumption with 20 minutes remaining times began to tumble.

Andre Lotterer moved to the top spot with a 1m17.548s as Andretti Autosport team-mate Jake Dennis jumped into second, 0.054s further back.

Lotterer reduced his personal best to a 1m17.471s with his next effort before Frijns moved back to the top at the midway point of the 30-minute session with a 1m17.115s, as Jaguar’s Sam Bird posted a time just 0.080s slower.

Lotterer and Frijns soon began to trade fastest times, the German going fastest with a 1m17.012s before the latter responded with a 1m16.794s – the first driver to dip into the 1m16s bracket.

Dennis joined his Andretti team-mate near the top of the times again, posting the third fastest effort with a 1m17.161s, some 0.367s behind Frijns’ best lap.

He was soon pushed back by Muller as the Abt cars, which have yet to score any points this season, showed an impressive turn of pace throughout the damp session.

Dan Ticktum, NIO 333 FE Team, NIO 333 ER9

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Despite the track gradually drying conditions proved tricky throughout, NIO 333 driver Dan Ticktum notably sliding his car around the old airfield, which included lightly touching the barrier on the exit of the final turn as he battled for control.

Unsurprisingly the fastest times came in the final moments, with Evans' personal best coming with the chequered flag out.

Lotterer jumped into second with his final lap, just 0.078s behind Evans, as Ticktum finished third less than three tenths back.

Muller, who had set the fastest time in the latter stages, eventually finished fourth ahead of Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi.

Saturday’s polesitter had been on course to set the fastest time in the session, but lost time at the Turn 9 hairpin after being held up by Stoffel Vandoorne’s DS Penske machine.

Early pacesetter Frijns finished sixth, less than half a second off the top time, with the second Envision of Nick Cassidy in seventh.

Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein had a quiet session, the Porsche driver not featuring near the top of the times and eventually finished 14th, over a second off the pace.