Marked by a crash that knocked out six drivers, the first race of the Rome ePrix saw Mitch Evans win ahead of Nick Cassidy and Maximilian Günther. Jean-Eric Vergne finishes fifth.
Mitch Evans is definitely at home in Rome. Winner in the Italian capital in 2019 then twice last year, the driver of the Jaguar team was able to get through the incidents during a very lively event this Saturday in the EUR district. A race that the British team approached from a position of strength, Mitch Evans having beaten Sam Bird in the qualifying final. The Briton responded to the New Zealander from the first corner by taking the lead of the race. However, there was mayhem behind with Maximilian Günther and Sébastien Buemi colliding and causing a slowdown whose victim was Pascal Wehrlein.
The Porsche driver left his front wing there and had to go through the pits to change it. Fortunately for him, André Lotterer crashed his single-seater into the wall on the third lap, prompting the intervention of the safety car for two laps. On resumption, Mitch Evans responded to his teammate to take control. However, in the ninth lap, the red flag was out.
EVANS AGAIN!!! 🔥@MitchEvans_ wins his THIRD consecutive race in Rome and closes the gap in the Drivers’ Championship! 🥇🥇🥇@Hankook_Sport #RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/JGuE3FePZs
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) July 15, 2023
Evans proved to be the strongest
After losing control of his Jaguar in a fast left-hander, Sam Bird caused an impressive pile-up which put out Sébastien Buemi, Edoardo Mortara, Lucas di Grassi and Robin Frijns. With the track strewn with debris, the race was halted for just over 40 minutes with Sacha Fenestraz leading a emaciated field on the restart. The Frenchman was able to resist the pressure imposed by Mitch Evans, René Rast and Jake Dennis but above all he was forced to consume too much energy. Which cost him dearly at the end of the race with a tenth place finish.
At the outposts, the battle was tough but it was Mitch Evans who had the last word in front of Nick Cassidy and Maximilian Günther, which gives Maserati a home podium. Starting from 16th position, Jean-Eric Vergne was able to get through the troubles to move up to fifth place when Norman Nato took eighth place. In the championship, Nick Cassidy takes the opportunity to settle at the top of the classification with five points ahead of Jake Dennis when Mitch Evans is only 20 lengths before the second race of the weekend, disputed this Sunday.
FORMULA E / ROME ePRIX
Classification of race 1 – 27 laps (94.066km) – Saturday July 15, 2023
1- Mitch Evans (NZL/Jaguar) in 37’02”976
2- Nick Cassidy (NZL/Envision) at 1”639
3- Maximilian Günther (ALL/Maserati MSG Racing) à 9’’126
4- Jake Dennis (GBR/Andretti) at 21”010
5- Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA / DS Penske) at 21”482
…
8- Norman Nato (FRA / Nissan) at 24”071
…
10- Sacha Fenestraz (FRA / Nissan) at 30”342
…
Ranking of the drivers’ world championship after 13 races (out of 16)
1- Nick Cassidy (NZL/Envision) 171 points
2- Jake Dennis (GBR/Andretti) 166
3- Mitch Evans (NZL/Jaguar) 151
…
5- Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA/DS Penske) 107
…
13- Sacha Fenestraz (FRA/Nissan) 32
14- Norman Nato (FRA/Nissan) 27
…
