How Evans pulled off his last-to-first recovery in Formula E's dramatic opener

Formula E’s two previous visits to Sao Paulo both produced memorable and enthralling races and this year’s edition, which played host to the start of the 2024-25 campaign, could go down as one of the all-electric championship’s most compelling races. In a contest where Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein and Nissan’s Oliver Rowland both seemed to have the fastest outright packages on the day, it was Jaguar and Mitch Evans who ended the first race of the new Gen3 Evo era on top in the most unlikely of circumstances.

The 1.82-mile street circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Evans previously, the Kiwi having won the inaugural event in 2023 before claiming the runner-up spot last season after being passed for the lead in the final few corners. His remarkable victory last weekend from last on the grid – a feat never achieved before in Formula E history – underlined the chaotic and dramatic nature of a season-opener that featured two red flags and a frightening airborne accident for reigning champion Wehrlein.

Watch: Mitch Evans Wins from the Back of the Grid! - Formula E São Paulo E-Prix Highlights

Evans’s weekend began in troubled fashion as his Jaguar ground to halt in the final minutes of the opening practice session due to a software issue, with the problem repeating itself in the qualifying groups. It meant Evans was unable to set a lap, which consigned him to 22nd and last on the grid while putting doubt in his mind that he would even complete the full race distance.

“Lining up on the grid I was first of all just hoping to see the chequered flag because we had some issues on track over the last two days that obviously prevented me from doing qualifying and cutting one of the practice sessions short,” said Evans after his 13th victory in Formula E, which moves him joint top of the all-time winners’ list with Lucas di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi. “There was definitely some concern there but once the race started, I had to forget about it and just hope from that side it was all fine.”

Immediately making progress, Evans found himself 15th at the end of the opening lap and gained another three places on the next tour before a safety car was deployed to retrieve the stricken cars of Jake Hughes and Nico Muller. The Maserati MSG and Andretti drivers had separate accidents at Turn 6 after checking up in avoidance because of cars ahead during the early-race scramble.

Several places in front of Evans, Jaguar team-mate Nick Cassidy became the first driver to take one of two mandatory Attack Modes on lap seven after racing resumed. Cassidy dropped to the fringes of the top 10 as he armed himself with the 350kW mode, which this season activates all-wheel-drive – the technology also used in qualifying duels and the start of races. The power of the new system became apparent immediately as the Kiwi moved into the lead in just a lap, with compatriot Evans acknowledging how impactful the performance advantage could be if used efficiently.

Evans had to battle through the pack after a software glitch in qualifying meant he started last

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“[The start] really changed my race quickly because I was starting to get into the mid-pack and started to shift my focus to optimise this race even more,” said Evans. “Once guys started taking Attack Mode it was quite eye-opening how much progress people were making so I just wanted to try and be clever with that. I went with my gut a little bit, timed it all pretty good.”

While Cassidy remained at the front on lap 12, Evans made less progress once he activated his first Attack Mode as those around him also now had the extra power, negating any advantage. It meant Evans was 10th when the first red flag was deployed on lap 21.

This was caused when Jake Dennis’s Andretti came to a stop in the run-off at Turn 1. The 2023 Formula E champion, who had started third, suffered a technical problem that left the Porsche-powered car in a ‘red state’, whereby it was in an unsafe condition and, as per the regulations, required a race-stoppage.

Rowland had pulled a gap of more than three seconds to the chasing pack, but his race unraveled as he was slapped with a drive-through penalty for overpower usage

The red flag greatly benefited Evans and Cassidy, now in sixth, as they remained the leading runners yet to activate the second Attack Mode. In theory, that gave them a strategic advantage. Both drivers retained their positions off the line at the standing restart, with Cassidy taking the final four minutes of Attack Mode on lap 24.

Just two laps later, he had moved into second behind long-time leader Rowland. The Briton had taken the lead of the race both times off the line, first against polesitter Wehrlein – whose qualifying effort was three seconds faster with the new car compared with nine months ago – and again against the second Porsche of Antonio Felix da Costa at the restart.

Rowland had pulled a gap of more than three seconds to the chasing pack, but his race unraveled as he was slapped with a drive-through penalty for overpower usage. This had also affected team-mate Norman Nato and the Nissan customer McLarens of Taylor Barnard and Sam Bird.

“It [overpower] comes from the start,” said Rowland, who led 17 laps in Brazil, more than double managed by any other driver. “I was unaware that the other three had got it and I got what they got on the second start.

Rowland came away empty-handed after leading the most laps of everybody as the new season began in Brazil

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

“It’s due to speed basically. The first start I was closer to Turn 1 so I didn’t get to the speed where there was a problem. It’s the transition from front to rear [powertrains], so the second start when I pushed more to Turn 1, I got it.”

Rowland’s penalty, as well as the team miscalculating energy saving in the middle part of proceedings, meant he ultimately limped home in 14th on a day when victory could well have been in his grasp.

With new leader Cassidy’s Attack Mode complete, he soon came under pressure from Evans. He had taken his final boost of power two laps later than his stablemate and swept into the lead before Turn 1 on lap 29. Da Costa demoted Cassidy at the same spot a lap later and the Jaguar driver immediately came under threat from behind by DS Penske’s Maximilian Guenther and Wehrlein into the Turn 4/5 chicane.

Guenther was pushed into the wall on the outside as he went three-wide with Cassidy and Wehrlein, before damaged suspension sent the Jaguar into the side of the Porsche, flipping Wehrlein over as the roll hoop of the car made heavy contact with the Turn 6 barrier.

Another red flag was immediately deployed to aid the German, who was uninjured and extracted himself from the car once it was overturned, before being taken to hospital for precautionary checks. He was visibly shaken by the incident.

“It’s kind of a sickening feeling whenever you see a car upside down so I’m just very glad he’s OK,” said Cassidy, who was cleared of any wrongdoing by the stewards post-race. He briefly rejoined proceedings after his car was repaired before suffering a software issue.

With four laps remaining, taking the race total to 35 laps, Evans headed da Costa at the rolling restart and was able to manage his remaining energy levels to claim a scarcely believable win.

“I probably thought it was done [the win] out of the last corner on the last lap,” added Evans.

“The whole race was very unpredictable and in the last four laps with this guy [da Costa] breathing down your neck, you don’t know what could happen. It would have been nice to have a calmer end to the race but I got it done, so I guess that’s what matters.”

After being passed by Evans, Cassidy became embroiled in contact with Guenther and Wehrlein that scuppered the hopes of all three to score points

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

Behind Evans and da Costa, Barnard became the youngest podium finisher in Formula E history in just his fourth start, while team-mate Bird immediately behind ensured the McLaren team left Brazil leading the teams’ championship.

The recovery of the papaya-coloured cars had been even arguably greater than Evans’s performance after both drivers served their drive-through penalties for overpowering. Rejoining off the back of the field, both conserved vast amounts of energy in the hopes of a safety car and refrained from using their second Attack Modes until later than everyone else.

Having used their extra energy to great effect, the British duo found themselves third and fourth at the final restart, with Barnard holding 3% more energy than Evans and da Costa in front. With Bird having taken the decision to not challenge Barnard in order to protect his team-mate, the younger McLaren driver was ultimately unable to launch a race-winning challenge.

“Honestly, not really,” said Barnard when asked if the win was achievable. “I was limited by temperature and by tyre grip. I tried, I really did try. At the end Sam was helping me to keep this third position, so thanks to him. I gave it my all at the end to gain some more positions but unfortunately, it was not possible.”

Barnard was delighted to take third with Bird as his tail gunner, although he couldn't use his energy surplus to pass da Costa

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images