The strategic masterclass that secured Jaguar a Monaco Formula E 1-2

On a weekend when the British manufacturer committed its future to the all-electric championship, a strategic masterclass in the Monaco E-Prix also cemented Jaguar’s grip on the teams’ standings at the season’s halfway point. From the outset Evans had shown impressive pace in the principality, topping both of Saturday morning’s practice sessions, and he carried that form into qualifying, where it seemed Jaguar would secure a front-row lock-out. But both Evans and Cassidy made minor mistakes in their semi-final duels against Pascal Wehrlein and Stoffel Vandoorne respectively, leaving the pair on the second row but in position to still capitalise on Jaguar’s strong package.

While polesitter Wehrlein and fellow front-row starter Vandoorne held position off the line, Evans went side-by-side with Cassidy through Ste Devote and emerged ahead of his team-mate in a flashpoint that would ultimately determine the winner.

Unlike the previous Misano E-Prix double-header where overtaking was abundant, the tight confines of the Monte-Carlo street circuit meant overtaking was difficult and track position crucial. The status quo thus remained the same until Vandoorne moved into the lead on lap three as Wehrlein took his first Attack Mode power boost at the earliest opportunity, which dropped the Porsche driver to fourth.

Just two laps later Vandoorne also took his first Attack Mode, but the DS Penske driver managed to maintain the lead having built enough of a gap over Evans and Cassidy behind.

Vandoorne’s deployment had come just moments before a safety car was called into action after Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara was involved in a nasty crash at the Swimming Pool chicane, his Mahindra suffering from a technical problem that sent him hard into the barriers.

With Mortara unharmed and his wreckage removed, racing resumed on lap nine with Vandoorne taking his second Attack Mode the following lap, allowing Evans to move comfortably into the lead. Crucially, Cassidy also moved ahead after a late dive up the inside into Mirabeau that proved pivotal to Jaguar’s race-winning strategy. Even before the lap was over Cassidy had already started to slow his pace to such an extent that Evans was able to pull a three-second gap that allowed him to take his first Attack Mode next time around and maintain the lead.

Cassidy held back the pack to gift space for Evans to take Attack Mode without losing positions

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

It was rinse and repeat over the following two laps, with Cassidy dutifully ensuring that his team-mate could rebuild another 3s advantage before Evans took his final activation on lap 13. Approaching the start/finish straight to begin lap 14, Evans lifted off to initiate the second phase of Jaguar’s masterplan, and just like Cassidy had done before, he too began to slow his pace having let his team-mate ahead. The new leader took both Attack Modes on laps 15 and 17, and each time retained position.

But after his second activation and having rejoined in front of Evans, Cassidy let his team-mate have the inside line into Mirabeau. Evans moved back ahead in what was the race-winning moment, and even with 14 laps still to run at that stage, a Jaguar 1-2 never really appeared in doubt such was their dominance.

Any minor concerns on remaining energy were forgotten when a second safety car was deployed on lap 25, after Nico Muller was pushed into the barrier at Rascasse by Jake Hughes, for which the McLaren driver was handed a 5s penalty. Even with the addition of two added laps due to the pair of safety car periods, energy was a non-factor and Evans pulled the pin at the restart. Over the remaining five laps the Jaguar machines demonstrated their supreme pace, crossing the line separated by less than a second but with Evans nearly 4s clear of the chasing pack.

"I owe this win to Nick, he really helped me when it mattered" Mitch Evans

Victory marked Evans’s first time on the top step of the podium in Monaco despite six previous podiums across both Formula E and GP2 races at the venue. It also signified his first win of the season in a campaign which, before last weekend, had yielded just one podium in seven races. “We knew it was going to be a tough race, we knew it was all about the strategy around the Attack Modes,” said Evans. “I owe this win to Nick, he really helped me when it mattered. I helped him as well, but I really appreciate the team player he was today. It’s an amazing team achievement.”

Although not drawn on the specific team orders that had been agreed ahead of the race, Evans suggested that by having been the leading Jaguar from the opening lap it put him in the best position. “I wasn’t expecting to get past him at Turn 1 but I think I was in the lead when it [Attack Modes] all kind of happened. I think that was probably the fairest way to do it and it’s how it was sort of said to me in the briefing,” added Evans.

What made Jaguar’s strategy even more impressive was that “communication was difficult from a radio point of view”, with Cassidy left unable to speak with his team at times. “I feel like I was the guy driving a few decisions and so it was more me trying to communicate to them almost what I’m doing,” he said.

A tactical masterclass as Evans and Cassidy worked together for a memorable Monaco 1-2

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

“Why I think today was well handled is because we didn’t expect to be in the position that we were, but I kind of took it upon myself to do what’s the most fair and try and get the best result for the team, so I’m proud of myself for that.”

A fifth podium in eight races has put him just seven points off the top of the standings, with Cassidy admitting that “100%” his focus is on claiming his maiden Formula E title, on a day in Monaco when either Jaguar driver could have won the race.

Behind the dominant Big Cats, Vandoorne completed the podium, which was remarkably his first rostrum since 2022 when the Belgian driver wrapped up the Formula E title in Seoul. While there were smiles, Vandoorne also knew that the chance of a win had slipped through his grasp, having dropped behind Cassidy at a crucial point in the race.

“We really managed the first part of the race very well and actually took control before taking my first Attack Mode, still being in the lead with both Jaguars behind [when they] hadn’t taken either of them,” he said. “So I think it was a good stage of the race and then where I feel like we lost the race is when I took the second [Attack Mode]. We nearly pulled out between both Jaguars, and I think if we’d have managed that it would have been a different race today and had a real chance of winning it.”

Vandoorne’s most serious attempt at disrupting Jaguar’s stronghold came at the start of lap 11, as he tried to repass Cassidy into Ste Devote but without success.

The 2021-22 champion’s lack of aggression was a point of contention for DS Penske team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne, who had shadowed Vandoorne as per team orders for much of the race after starting fifth. Vergne had been feisty in the opening laps, repassing Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Guenther into the hairpin before doing the same to Wehrlein around the outside into the Nouvelle chicane in the space of a lap.

Now in fourth, he probed the defences of Cassidy, most noticeably at Mirabeau and into the Nouvelle chicane, but he failed to make further ground. He only moved into third briefly after Vandoorne allowed him ahead at the hairpin in order for the Frenchman to take his second Attack Mode on lap 16, which dropped him back to fourth for the remainder of the race.

Vergne was critical of his DS Penske team-mate for not pressing the Jaguar drivers harder

Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images

“If I had passed [Vandoorne] I would have definitely tried something, I would definitely not have let the Jaguar drivers play their games and smoke their cigars,” said Vergne.

“I was ready to let Stoffel by at the end for the podium, but I was not going to be sitting the whole race doing nothing. Clearly if he cannot pass I wanted to have a go and if I could not pass either I would have happily let him by again.

“Stoffel did nothing wrong, he did a good race. It’s just frustrating to be a clear number two today sitting behind.”

Also left frustrated was Wehrlein, who having taken the outright championship lead courtesy of an additional four points for his third pole position of the season, was arguably in prime position to take a hat-trick of wins this season given the more traditional style of racing that played out.

"I would definitely not have let the Jaguar drivers play their games and smoke their cigars" Jean-Eric Vergne

But the German admitted that his race “was over on lap three”, having taken his first Attack Mode that dropped him to fourth. With the Jaguar and DS Penske drivers working strategically together, Wehrlein was never able to recover track position but still left Monaco with a lead of seven points in the standings.

Porsche team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa had been bitterly unlucky on his way to seventh, having been forced to come to a complete stop at the hairpin through no fault of his own. Envision’s Sebastien Buemi had been pushed wide by Sergio Sette Camara and into the barrier – the ERT driver given a 5s penalty as a result – with da Costa the innocent party before putting in a strong recovery drive.

Between the Porsche drivers, Oliver Rowland secured another points finish, having climbed up the order from 15th, while Nissan team-mate Sacha Fenestraz was able to finish eighth. Maserati MSG’s Guenther and Andretti’s Norman Nato completed the top 10, the latter having recovered from making a pitstop to repair a broken front wing.

Evans’s victory has left him just a race win behind Wehrlein in the points at the halfway stage, but given his impressive form last year after he finally got off the mark, there’s every reason to believe he can still launch a serious championship assault.

At the halfway point of the season, the drivers' standings are starting to close up

Photo by: DPPI