Winner of the Jakarta round in Formula E, Mitch Evans complained about the strong heat in Indonesia and said that even getting out of the car after the race was no longer an easy task
Mitch Evans is definitely in contention for the Formula E title in 2022. The Jaguar driver won again in the championship last Saturday (4), when he took victory in the Jakarta eP, and became the only driver in the current grid to have won three times in the year. After a physically exhausting race, the New Zealander acknowledged the difficulties in the Indonesian heat and the demands the race had on the competitors' bodies.
"Every win is important, especially when you're fighting for the championship," Evans said. "They all add up to the end of the championship. It was a tough race, dealing with the heat from the start with the tires, the battery and obviously the strategy. There was a lot going on physically, the finish was pretty tough too," he admitted.
One of the main complaints from the drivers after the race in Jakarta was about the rear tires, which overheated in almost every car on the abrasive Indonesian asphalt. Evans said he experienced the same problem, especially in the latter part of the race, but managed to hold off the onslaughts of Vergne and Mortara - who had more battery power - to secure victory.
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"We managed to do things well throughout the race and the balance was very good, except for the last five laps where I really struggled with the rear tires," the Jaguar driver acknowledged. "But I managed to keep them [Vergne and Mortara] behind, I'm very happy with that win," he exclaimed.
Evans' victory has once and for all shuffled the championship, which continues to have Mercedes' Stoffel Vandoorne as the leader. However, the gap from first to fourth place - Evans himself - has now dropped to just 12 points, with Vergne and Mortara between them in the standings. Evans again highlighted the result in a difficult race, where even leaving the car after the race was a challenge.
"The last six laps were really heavy, and even getting out of the car was really difficult because you don't even have wind," he revealed. "I saw that Vergne and 'Edo' [Mortara] also suffered from that. That's how it has to be, it has to be physical. The climate here is very aggressive, very extreme for us. It puts you to the test, but fortunately we were able to achieve the victory," he added.
Formula E now returns only next month. The eP Marrakech, which has returned to the calendar in place of Vancouver, Canada, is scheduled to take place on July 2, and marks the last single-race round of the season.