Mitch Evans took victory in a dramatic first race at the Berlin E-Prix on Saturday, with championship leader Oliver Rowland crashing out.
With inclement weather causing practice to be cancelled and qualifying to be run in a reduced format, tension built on the grid ahead of the Berlin E-Prix.
Mitch Evans started in pole position on Saturday, with Oliver Rowland primed to seal his maiden Formula E title in second. Nearest championship challenger Pascal Werhlein started ninth after his three place grid penalty for hitting his team-mate in practice.
Two rookies prepared for their debut in challenging conditions. Sérgio Sette Câmara and Felipe Drugovich no longer had to contend to rain, but the greasy track would present a challenge.
Lights out leads to Safety Car at the Berlin E-Prix
At lights out, Evans held the leas into turn 1, with three going into turn one side by side. Jake Dennis stalled on the grid, while Oliver Rowland dropped to fifth place, while Wherlein dropped to tenth.
The Safety Car was immediately deployed while the stricken Andretti was recovered. After just one lap the race resumed, strategy for the afternoon now very much requiring a rethink.
Evans immediately took his Attack Mode, moving into second when he rejoined the track. He retook the lead from Robin Frijns and created a gap.
Antonio Felix Da Costa and Wehrlein took their Attack Modes immediately, as the Porsches pushed to move up the order. Now running fifth, he followed Maxmillian Gunther, passing Frijns.
Placing the DS Penske under pressure, Wehrlein now lay third, but was significantly behind the top two. However, this order would only last for one lap, as the DS Penske passed with ease.
Rowland, lying seventh, had yet to take his first Attack Mode, and lay seventh on the circuit. He slipped to ninth, but began to move up the order after taking his Attack Mode on the next lap. Taking the title looked like a tall order at this stage, as he needed to finish in the top two.
Second, third and fourth places started changing around on lap 11 of the Berlin E-Prix. Da Costa, Frijns and Wehrlein jostled for position, with Wehrlein winning the battle.
Mitch Evans was four seconds ahead at this stage, but the German began to catch quickly, a second faster on lap 12. Frijns and Da Costa continued their tustle, Frijns holding the advantage for now.
Further back, Taylor Barnard was locked in battle with Jake Hughes, passing the Maserati with ease. His next target was the champion elect, Rowland.
Pit Boost window opens at the Berlin E-Prix
The Pit Boost window reopened on lap 19, with Gunter the first to pit for an energy top-up. He re-emerged in 20th, taking the remainder of his Attack Mode on his out lap. Vandoorne, followed in one lap later, also re-emerged in the lower order.
Verge, Da Costa, and Barnard all came into the pits, but the top three continued around, opting to extend their stints. Rowland was now third, but still a long way behind the top two.
Evans pitted on lap 24, Wehrlein following in him in. This now left Rowland in the lead, but he had take his Pit Boost. Rowland pitted one lap later, bringing in Dan Ticktum behind him.
Wehrlein and Evans had four minutes of Attack Mode remaining, setting up a thrilling finale for the Berlin E-Prix.
Safety Car number two
David Beckmann hit the barriers after contact with Sette Câmara, ending his race early and bringing out the Safety Car. Camara would be awarded a ten-second time penalty for the incident.
This had a negative effect on the likes on team-mate Dan Ticktum, who needed to take both Attack Modes with nine laps remaining.
Vergne dramatically slowed ahead of the restart, pulling into the pits to retire. After two laps behind the Safety Car, the drivers prepared for a sprint to the end of the race.
Rowland took his second Attack Mode, and promptly spun, after an incident with Vandoorne, damaging his front suspension. Most of the field took their second Attack Mode, with positions changing corner by corner.
Barnard looked to be a winner of the chaos, moving into fourth, as two added laps were added to a frantic race.
Wehrlein was on a charge to increase his points haul from 18 to 25, chasing down Evans for the lead. But a mistake on the penultimate lap cut off his challenge for Evans to take victory. Da Costa lost his third place, being awarded a penalty for causing a collision, putting Edo Mortara into the podium places.
Provisional Classification
- Mitch Evans
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Edo Mortara
- Taylor Barnard
- Nick Cassidy
- Maximillian Gunther
- Sebastien Buemi
- Nico Muller
- Dan Ticktum
- Antonio Felix Da Costa
- Sam Bird
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Robin Frijns
- Jake Hughes
- Sérgio Sette Câmara
- Zane Maloney
- Felipe Drugovich
- Lucas Di Grassi
- Oliver Rowland
- Jean Eric Vergne
Not Classified
David Beckmann
Jake Dennis
