Mitch Evans has shown that he can fight in a tough new category like Formula E, and since his arrival in the series he is one of the competition’s cheering drivers.
He was born in New Zealand on June 24, 1994. From the age of six he was already at the wheel of karting, and at 16 he won the NZ Grand Prix, becoming one of the youngest racers to triumph in an International Grand Prix.
He was champion of the Toyota Racing Series of New Zealand twice in a row in 2010 and 2011. In addition, he took second place in the Australian Drivers’ Championship.
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He came to GP2 in 2013 when he was still a rookie at just 18 years old and became the youngest rider in the history of the category to get on the podium by finishing third in Sepang, Malaysia. In the four years he was on that series, he ranked 14th in 2013, 4th in 2014, 5th in 2015, and 12th in 2016.
His electric adventure
Evans came to the world of electric racing in 2016, and his best record during that season was the conquest of fourth place in the E-Prix held in Mexico.
The New Zealander stayed with Jaguar Racing for his second experience in 2017-2018 and achieved a better performance by taking first place on the podium for Jaguar in Hong Kong and the pole position in Zurich, Switzerland.
Despite not having achieved a victory that season, Evans edged out his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. and finished the season two places ahead of the Brazilian, sixth in the overall score.
Another challenge would come in 2018-2019 aboard the team’s Gen2 Jaguar I-Type 3, with which Evans claimed his first Formula E victory for both himself and Jaguar in Rome.
In the final round in New York, the New Zealander was among the eight drivers in contention for the title, but did not reach the finish line due to an unfortunate collision with Lucas di Grassi of Audi in the final race that left him in fifth place at the end of the year.
In his third season, Evans remained behind the wheel of Jaguar Racing alongside British rookie James Calado. The pair was in command of the new I-Type 4 of the British brand to contest the Formula E title in 2019-20.
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After an uneven start to Saudi Arabia’s double career, he rallied back to plunge into the title race. Evans took the podium in Santiago after a resounding victory in Mexico City and, despite a qualifying mishap in Morocco, finished sixth as he rallied from the back of the grid.
The COVID-19 pandemic froze Evans’ ambition, who after the interruption of the tournament could not keep up the winning pace and lagged behind in the final table.
Despite the frustration in 2020, Jaguar Racing maintains its confidence intact in the New Zealand driver, and it is reinforced with the arrival of Sam Bird to be one of the favorite teams in the season seven of Formula E.
Written by I Jhonattan González