“We had a battery problem at the end of FP2, so it was a massive race to get that replaced and also we had to change the rear end,” confirmed Evans.
“The guys did an amazing job to get the car ready and we just got it ready within a few seconds of parc ferme but we couldn’t do any checks on the car, and unfortunately the car wouldn’t start, so I wasn’t able to get out for qualifying.”
With Evans starting 20th on the grid for the Southwire Portland E-Prix, a points finish seemed unlikely, but the New Zealander soon began to make his way through the field after the early laps of the race had been completed. Despite eventually finishing in fourth place, a position he’s only finished lower than once in his past seven races, Evans believes more was possible in Portland.
“We had a plan for the race and executed it pretty well. I know it sounds crazy, after starting 20th and finishing P4, but I think it could have gone a little bit better. I found myself in P2 at one stage with good energy, but then I felt like a bit of a target at that point and got swamped and pushed down to eighth really quickly.
“To get back to P4 was good, obviously Jake Dennis and Nick Cassidy who I’m fighting for the championship with extended their leads on me, but at least I salvaged something from the race.”
Evans is currently fourth in the Season 9 standings, 32 points behind leader Jake Dennis, but his consistent form has contributed to four podiums, two wins and ten points finishes from 12 rounds so far this season.
Next up is a double-header in Rome, a location that Evans and Jaguar have excelled in before, having won three times in the Italian capital, including both victories last season. This will be the first time the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will race in the Eternal City in the Gen3 era however, a fact that Evans is more than aware of.
“I’m looking forward to Rome, but obviously it’s a different game in GEN3, as we saw in Jakarta. We won there last year and this year we really struggled. In the last few races I feel like we’ve not had the pace as in previous races, but we’re going to Rome with high hopes and good memories.
“It’s coming to that part of the championship where you have to be perfect and execute clean races, but I’m ready for it.”