Round 7, Monaco 8 May 2021 FIA Formula E World Championship
After a double-points finish for Jaguar Racing, the team is now only two points behind the World Championship leader
Mitch Evans secured his third podium this season after a thrilling race on the iconic streets of Monaco, and there was a seventh place for teammate Sam Bird.
Evans started the race in third after a strong qualifying performance, making it through to Super Pole from group one. He had a busy drive behind the wheel of his I-TYPE 5 tussling with the leaders, before making a momentous overtake on Antonio Felix Da Costa into Beau Rivage to move into first position with 15 minutes to go. On the final lap Mitch had to defend heavily from Da Costa, who had fractionally more energy and was able snatch the lead into the chicane.
“I got myself into a great position today,” said Evans after accepting his trophy. “Leading in Monaco is amazing, but that came at a cost with the energy I used to get there. I was really hoping to ride it out until the end, but it just wasn’t meant to be today.
“They are still great points for the team, plus we can take positives from today, move forward and get ready for Mexico.” Teammate Sam Bird started the race in 16th after a tough qualifying session. In the first lap, he slipped past four cars on the inside of the Fairmont hairpin to get up into 12th. He continued to show his pace by carving his way through the pack, using Attack Mode and FanBoost strategically, and making decisive overtakes to finish in seventh.
“We’ve had fantastic pace today,” he said afterwards. “We dominated both free practice sessions and, although my qualifying session was frustrating, I showed pace again in the race.
“As far as recovery drives go, this was great. To come through the field from 16th to seventh in Monaco is pretty cool. Evans in now third in the Drivers’ Championship, eight points behind current leader Robin Frijns, while Bird is fifth, 11 points behind Frijns. In the Teams’ World Championship, Jaguar Racing is in second place, only two points behind Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team.
● The FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Mexico for rounds eight and nine on Saturday, 19 June and Sunday, 20 June 2021.