Mitch Evans fights back to secure vital points after a challenging weekend in Hong Kong

Mitch Evans continued his scoring streak in Hong Kong as he fought his way through the field to secure six valuable points for Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

During a scrappy race which saw winner Sam Bird penalised and eight drivers retire from the race, the 50th ABB Formula E-Prix also saw the teams get to grips with the challenging weather.

Going into the race weekend, Panasonic Jaguar Racing was focused on getting qualifying right, but the heavy rain and wet track affected Nelson Piquet Jr’s and Mitch’s performance, as they started in 15th and 17th places respectively.

Nelson’s race lasted only one lap as he suffered suspension damage, while New Zealander Mitch enjoyed a better race as he threaded his way through the field to gain 10 places and finish 7th overall.

Team Director James Barclay was proud of the team’s efforts although qualifying is still proving a challenge, adding:

“Conditions have been tricky all day for all the drivers. Mitch put in a really mature drive and showed composure to rise through the field during the race.

“With the race pace we have, a strong qualifying will make all the difference. We will now look forward to our Chinese mainland debut in Sanya. We can rely on the support of Jaguar China and our passionate motorsport fans there.”

Mitch was in optimistic mood after the race, saying he was happy to come away with points after a frenetic race, adding:

“There were a few incidents on track and everyone was pushing to be at the front of the group, so to come through the race and finish in 7th is positive. There are still plenty of things to learn as we go through the season and today is no exception. This is the first wet race we have had in fifty Formula E races, so we will all take a lot away from the experience.”

The battle for the podium places in Hong Kong was intense, with some of the action getting too close for comfort with Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird being penalised after crossing the line first. The win was later awarded to Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara, after Virgin’s British driver served a five-second penalty for clipping DS Techeetah’s Andres Lotterer.

In the closing phase of the race, Sam was closing in on the German when he made contact puncturing Andre’s rear wheel, which saw him limp home in last place. Edoardo was joined on the podium by Audi Sport’s Lucas Di Grassi and Envision Virgin’s Robin Frijns.

After the fifth race of the season, Panasonic Jaguar Racing remains 7th overall in the team standings, with Mitch climbing to 8th in the driver’s championship equal on points with Audi Sport’s Daniel Abt, while Nelson drops to 20th overall.

Next stop for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship is China as the drivers battle it out on the streets of Sanya on 23 March.

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