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Article by Katy Fairman
There was a lot of change going into São Paulo. New teams, new drivers, and a whole new car. The GEN3 Evo got its race weekend debut in Brazil, and delivered us an all-time classic E-Prix with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans going from last to win – a first in Formula E.
These are some of the biggest stories and learnings from Round 1 of what promises to be a season of racing you won’t want to miss!
GEN3 Evo is quick… really quick
Formula E’s latest race car, the GEN3 Evo, is the quickest accelerating FIA single-seater and capable of 0-60mph in just 1.82 seconds. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the lap times around the Anhembi Sambadrome were way quicker than our two previous trips.
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Reigning World Champion Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche) managed to make it back-to-back Julius Baer Pole Positions in São Paulo, starting from the P1 grid slot in both Season 10 and Season 11. However, this time his pole lap came in at 1m09.851s, almost three seconds quicker than his last pole lap from earlier this year.
As well as the car having an impact, with drivers now having access to all-wheel drive during the Duels in qualifying, the latest Hankook iON tyre specification will have helped. The optimised all-weather tyres now provide up to 10% more grip and are made from 35% recycled and sustainable materials.
Mitch Evans makes history with his victory
What a day for Mitch Evans. After a technical problem in qualifying saw him stop on track and fail to set a time, the Jaguar driver started the race from the very back of the grid. From there, he made his way through the field and by Lap 2 was up an impressive 10 places.
By Lap 29 of 35, Evans was up at the front with ATTACK MODE and completed a move for the lead on teammate Nick Cassidy. Then, just a lap later, the race was Red Flagged after an incident between Cassidy and Wehrlein, both unhurt in the shunt which saw Wehrlein’s car flipped upside down.
Once the race restarted, Evans held onto the lead despite pressure from Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa behind to take his second win and third consecutive podium at the special São Paulo circuit.
No driver had won from anything lower than 15th on the starting grid in the 10 years of Formula E, but Evans has now put his and Jaguar’s names in the history books with that incredible performance. Evans also celebrated his 13th career victory, putting him equal at the top of the 'most wins' list with Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi and Lola Yamaha ABT’s Lucas di Grassi.
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Dream start to Season 11 for rookie Barnard
One of the biggest stories of the São Paulo weekend was thanks to 20-year-old Taylor Barnard, who managed a podium for NEOM McLaren on his fourth outing with the team. Having been signed on a full-time contract alongside Sam Bird, after the departure of Jake Hughes to Maserati MSG Racing, Barnard had some big shoes to fill.
However, the pressure seemed no problem for Barnard, who drove an excellent race from 16th on the grid to third place to become the youngest-ever podium finisher in Formula E. Bird also finished fourth, meaning NEOM McLaren are now top of the Teams’ World Championship with 27 points to their name.
Their results were made even more impressive as both Bird and Barnard had to serve early drive-through penalties for having their power usage over the regulatory limit, something that caught several drivers out over the race.
Although the definition of rookie might be a bit stretched, with Barnard making three E-Prix appearances over Season 10 to replace an injured Sam Bird, he’s still a part of the new generation of drivers making their way into the championship. We can’t wait to see how he, as well as Zane Maloney at Lola Yamaha ABT and David Beckmann at CUPRA KIRO, get on over the rest of the season.
A strong first race back for Mahindra Racing
After ending a turbulent Season 10 with a double-points finish in London, Mahindra Racing managed to make it two-for-two after a strong race result for Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries at the opening round.
RACE HIGHLIGHTS: The 2024/25 São Paulo E-Prix Round 1
The M11Electro car has undergone some big changes in the off-season, including a brand-new powertrain, developed by Mahindra Racing, along with revised aerodynamic, suspension and rear-end packages. It’s hoped that these adjustments will make for a significant improvement after a challenging 2023/24 campaign.
Mortara banked a fifth place finish, with de Vries progressing from 21st to seventh, which was promoted to sixth post-race, in an underrated comeback drive among the chaos. It’s certainly looking like a step in the right direction for the Anglo-Indian outfit.
Da costa delivers a podium for Porsche early on
Talk about starting as you mean to go on! Antonio Felix da Costa continued the incredible momentum that he showed at the end of Season 10 – taking four wins in five races – to leave Brazil with a second place finish. It’s a great beginning to the 2024/25 campaign for the Season 6 champion, who has had some slow starts to the season in previous years.
“That was crazy,” da Costa said after his P2 result. “I knew the dynamic of these new GEN3 Evo cars was going to change the races, but I wasn't expecting that much! The key today for the team and myself was being able to think on our feet, adapt, improvise and use our experience to bring home a good result.”
Big opportunities missed at Nissan
As well as the third and fourth place from the NEOM McLaren squad, the Nissan team also looked incredibly strong over Round 1. Nevertheless, penalties for both Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato knocked them out of the points.
Rowland, who looked rapid all weekend, started on the front row of the grid after just missing out on pole to Porsche’s Wehrlein. After a fantastic launch, the Yorkshireman got into the lead but his race was derailed after receiving a drive-through penalty for overpower usage on Lap 23.
Nato, who also had a drive-through penalty for power over usage at the start of the race, was also demoted out of the points after a five-second time penalty for not being in his respective grid position at the restart.
Although the Nissan team were frustrated with the lack of points, with Rowland being in the running for the race win, there are still plenty of positives to take to Round 2 in Mexico City next month.
Schedule: Join us for Round 2 in Mexico City on 11 January 2025
Season 11 and the GEN3 Evo era has already started with an instant classic, so make sure you join us when we return to Mexico City next month.
BUY: Purchase tickets for the 2024 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix
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