Jaguar’s Mitch Evans delivered a masterclass performance in the wet conditions at the 2025 Formula E Berlin E-Prix, securing his second victory of the season after a dramatic Race 1 that saw championship leader Oliver Rowland retire with suspension damage.
The Kiwi, who had endured a challenging six-month pointless streak, dominated proceedings from pole position to claim an emotional triumph that reignited his season and demonstrated the resilience that has defined his career.
Perfect strategy amid late drama
Evans utilised a flawless strategy throughout the 41-lap race, maintaining his composure as chaos unfolded around him. The race’s defining moment came during a late safety car period when Rowland, desperate to maintain his championship advantage, made an ambitious move on Stoffel Vandoorne that ultimately backfired, leaving the Brit with terminal front suspension damage.
Speaking to Pit Debrief post-race, Evans said, “Honestly it feels great. It feels like, yeah, almost like my first time. It sounds a bit dramatic because it’s only been six months, but it’s been a really challenging period.”
The victory was particularly satisfying given the wet conditions that have proved troublesome for both Evans and Jaguar throughout the season. “And especially in the wet conditions, we’ve not been super competitive or as competitive. It’s been very up and down, very hard to predict. I wasn’t expecting to be as dominant as we were today,” he admitted.
Overcoming his most challenging season yet
Evans’ triumph comes after what he described as the most challenging period of his Formula E career. The 31-year-old, who has been a consistent frontrunner in the championship over recent seasons, found himself questioning his approach as results failed to materialise.
“There’s a lot. Don’t want to get too deep. But yeah, it’s challenging,” Evans admitted when asked about the lessons learned during his difficult spell. “You start to look at yourself differently or look at things differently. You start to look back at the past, like how good it was.”
“Yeah, but I think as a sports person, like as an athlete, as well as telling myself, everyone goes through something like this.”
The drought wasn’t solely down to driver performance, with Evans acknowledging the team’s struggles. “It wasn’t just me, you know, obviously as a team we’ve been not quite there. We’ve had some reliability problems, some performance problems, spikes in performance,” he said.
Expectations for the second race in Berlin
Despite his commanding victory in a wet Race 1, Evans remains cautious about his prospects for the remainder of the Formula E Berlin weekend. “I don’t know. I think we’re not quite as competitive in the dry. Which sounds weird for me,” he said when asked about his expectations for Race 2 in Berlin.
The pragmatic approach reflects a driver who has learned to manage expectations whilst maintaining focus on long-term goals. “I think we need a dry session. I want it to be dry just because I’m focussing a lot on next year. Using these races to try and find performance to hit the ground running next year if we can,” he said. “I’ve had a good run the last five years, so I was expecting a bad one.”
The victory serves as a timely reminder of Evans’ capabilities and ensures the championship battle remains wide open heading into the final rounds of the season. For a driver who had begun to doubt himself, Berlin provided the perfect stage for redemption.
“One thing we can’t control in life, that’s the weather,” Evans concluded with characteristic understatement, but on this occasion, the elements worked perfectly in his favour.
