Oliver Rowland took the Race 2 win in London EPrix as Pascal Wehrlein is crowned 2023/24 Formula E champion after finishing second.
Evans started strongly and got the jump on Guenther to make it a Jaguar TCS Racing one-two, Cassidy from Evans, into Turn 1 with the Maserati driver following and the third title rival Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) in fourth spot – importantly, that instantly gave the Jaguar team the chance to play their strategy exactly how they’d like to suit their title battles, though Evans and Cassidy would both fancy their ultimate chances.
The field filtered around Lap 1 relatively unscathed but three turns into Lap 2, Dennis and Mortara had a coming-together – forcing the Safety Car. The Green Flag flew on Lap 5 with Cassidy leading the pack away – single file through Sector 1. Evans let Cassidy know he was there, though, with a look around the outside as the field came back into view of the fans inside the ExCeL.
Wehrlein jumped Guenther to make it a title contender 1-2-3; a tidy leap up the inside of the final turn on Lap 6. Safety Car number two was required on Lap 7 with Daruvala squeezing Bird into the wall, which collected Ticktum and Nato behind. We were back racing on Lap 10, and once again Cassidy headed the way from teammate Evans and then-standings leader Wehrlein.
Cassidy was the first of the title rivals to jump for the initial of his two mandatory 50kW ATTACK MODE boosts. Two minutes of that power boost to utilise, and importantly, he held track position from teammate Cassidy while jumping through the activation loop off the racing line while Evans held the Porsche of Wehrlein at bay.
Lap 13 and Jaguar’s tactical plan looked to be in threat, with second-placed Evans telling his engineer the gloves are off, with Cassidy jumping for ATTACK number two, and falling back behind Wehrlein. Evans lead the Porsche and teammate Cassidy.
As it stood on Lap 14, it looked like Porsche were rerunning Saturday’s strategy, with Wehrlein second and in the box seat for the title provisionally but crucially, two percent up on usable energy on Cassidy and one percent to the good on Evans. Oliver Rowland made his way up from ninth on the grid to fourth come Lap 18, drawing his Nissan right onto the back of the title challenging trio ahead. A spanner in the works?
Lap 20 and Wehrlein tried to make a move into Turn 1, with Evans forced into strong resistance to fend the German off as he dived up the inside – Porsche’s driver keen to grab the clear air out front so he could take ATTACK MODE while retaining track position. Wehrlein’s teammate da Costa started 10th but had found his way into fifth come Lap 22, in a bid to support his teammate in the Drivers’ battle while bolstering Porsche’s efforts in the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ running – TAG Heuer Porsche requiring at least a podium double for a chance of Teams’ honours over Jaguar TCS Racing.
On Lap 24, Wehrlein now had three percent usable energy on Evans, and the Jaguar driver had it all on to keep the Porsche at bay through Turn 1. Elbows out didn’t cover it. Drama on Lap 29 as Cassidy’s chances came to an abrupt end with Guenther clashing with the Jaguar through the final turn, Rowland having made his way through for third as the car’s came back into the ExCeL.
Then, both Evans and Wehrlein needing to take both ATTACK MODE activations, the pair jumped through the loop and Rowland hit the front. Neither activation worked, though, with the Safety Car now on-track for the recovery of Guenther’s stricken Maserati Tipo Folgore – the front wing flying beneath his car after that contact with Cassidy.
Lap 31, and we were racing once again with Rowland leading Evans, Wehrlein and da Costa away. Evans and Wehrlein jumped for their first 50kW boost again, this time effectively. Wehrlein scrabbled hard to hold Buemi at bay when he rejoined the racing line, and teammate da Costa helped out consummately, keeping the Swiss at bay so Wehrlein could rejoin third.
Meanwhile, Rowland was forced into giving the lead up for making his pass for the lead under the Safety Car, which saw Evans retake P1 but Rowland split the Jaguar and Wehrlein behind – slotting into P2. Lap 33, and the two remaining title contenders went for ATTACK number two and Evans missed the loop again – P2 for now but Wehrlein, who successfully jumped through the loop, was right on his tail while Rowland hit the front once again.
Lap 34 and Wehrlein swept by as Evans went for a third bite at the ATTACK MODE cherry. He made it work but ceded second to the German, placing Wehrlein in provisional top spot in the standings. However, with two minutes of ATTACK to go, Evans was running out of time to use his final 50kW boost within the bounds of the rules, forcing the Kiwi into slowing and effectively giving up his Drivers’ charge. Rowland led things home from there, with Werhlein in tow and the title was the German’s.
Result: https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/504182
Here’s how Race 1 panned out in London Formula E weekend
[Note: The story is as per press release]