Evans Wins Shanghai E-Prix with Last Lap Strategy

Jaguar TCS Racing achieved an important victory in Round 11 of the Shanghai E-Prix, with Mitch Evans overtaking Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein on the last lap.

Evans, who started third, took the lead on lap 7, overtaking pole-sitter Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE) and Oliver Rowland of Nissan, as well as the Porsches of Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa. The Porsche drivers focused on maintaining track position while managing their energy levels.

The top six drivers stayed at the front, avoiding the mid-pack chaos and positioning themselves for a potential podium. Midway through the race, on lap 16, the Porsches, led by Wehrlein, retook the lead with Evans close behind, with almost no gap between the cars, all running very close to each other. The Stuttgart team prevented any advance from Evans, blocking the Jaguar on the long Turn 1.

On lap 19, Evans, with an additional energy percentage, overtook da Costa in the first sector. Meanwhile, championship leader Nick Cassidy, Evans' teammate, had a two percent energy advantage over the leaders. By lap 23, Cassidy moved up to fourth place, with a three percent energy advantage over the leading trio of Wehrlein, Evans, and da Costa.

Reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) briefly joined the leading group before the Jaguars' energy advantage became apparent. Cassidy overtook da Costa to move into third as the laps ticked down. Wehrlein, with a two percent energy deficit compared to the Jaguars, defended skillfully to keep Evans at bay.

The decisive move for the lead came on the last lap, when Evans passed Wehrlein on the outside to take the lead and hold it to the finish, while the Porsche defended against Cassidy, who settled for third. Da Costa finished fifth, Dennis sixth, and Vergne seventh after leading initially. Nyck de Vries scored his first points with Mahindra, finishing eighth. Maximilian Guenther of Maserati MSG Racing and Sebastien Buemi of Envision Racing completed the top 10. Guenther received a 10-second penalty, promoting DS PENSKE's Stoffel Vandoorne into the points.

With this victory, Cassidy leads the drivers' standings with 155 points, followed by Wehrlein with 142, and Rowland in third with 130. Jaguar TCS Racing has a 66-point advantage in the teams' standings, having won three of the last four races.

The next round, Round 12, will take place tomorrow, May 26, in Shanghai.

Race Development:

Pole-sitter Vergne started cleanly and led into Turn 1 while Rowland, starting second, was immediately overtaken by Wehrlein and Evans. On lap 1, the field ran three cars wide. Vergne led the Porsches of Wehrlein and da Costa, who worked together from the start.

Wehrlein was the first driver to activate the mandatory 50kW ATTACK MODE on lap 3, followed by Rowland. Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) briefly led before activating his ATTACK MODE, handing the lead back to Wehrlein on lap 4. Da Costa took the lead at the start of lap 5 before activating his initial ATTACK MODE, and then ceded the position back to Wehrlein.

On lap 7, Evans positioned himself between the Porsches with a move in Turn 1 and, a lap later, the New Zealander took the lead. On lap 8, the top three fought for the lead in the final chicane, with Vergne overtaking both Evans and Wehrlein.

The DS driver activated ATTACK MODE on lap 10 and rejoined the pack, with the whole field separated by just a few seconds. De Vries of Mahindra led the pack, followed by Wehrlein, Rowland, Evans, Dennis, and da Costa in the top 6.

On lap 13, Evans led again, with the Porsches and Vergne waiting for their moment in the top 4. Midway through the race, all the top 10 drivers had used their ATTACK MODE except for Dennis, leaving a 15-lap battle to the finish.

Cassidy, who won in Berlin, found himself in the top 6 with a two percent energy advantage. On lap 16, the Porsches, led by Wehrlein, retook the lead with Evans close behind. On lap 19, Evans, with an additional energy percentage, overtook da Costa in the first sector, while Cassidy had a three percent energy advantage over the leaders on lap 23.

Wehrlein braked too late into the hairpin, allowing Evans to take the lead, while Dennis activated ATTACK MODE and moved into third. Dennis and Wehrlein battled for second place, neither giving an inch. Cassidy overtook Dennis in the final sector while Wehrlein overtook Evans to lead the last three laps. Evans retook the lead on lap 27, while da Costa remained in contention for third.

On the last lap, Evans overtook Wehrlein in Turn 1, then slowed the Porsche into the hairpin to allow Cassidy to attack, but the championship leader could not pass, defending against Rowland at the last moment to hold third place after damaging his front wing in the final corner.