Strong performances in Bern give Panasonic Jaguar Racing plenty to fight for in New York

Mitch Evans kept his title chances alive with a podium finish as Panasonic Jaguar Racing claimed double points in Bern, Switzerland.

Heading into the final European race of the season, Mitch’s championship hopes were slim, but after an assured performance behind the wheel, he has given himself a chance to win the drivers’ title at the double header finale in New York.

After a strong qualifying session which saw Mitch secure second place on the grid, he battled it out with current championship leader DS Techeetah’s Jean-Éric Vergne for the victory finishing just 0.160 seconds behind. 

The result sees the New Zealander climb to third in the drivers’ championship just 43 points behind the Frenchman with the final two races in New York left to go.

Speaking after the race, Mitch said it was a great feeling to be back on the podium but feels he had the pace to win, adding:

“The Jaguar I-TYPE 3 felt extremely fast and I want to thank everyone in the team for giving me a great race car. I was hoping I’d be able to move on Jean-Eric under Attack Mode, but that didn’t materialise, he was defending well. 

“There is a big points gap to Jean-Eric in the standings but anything is possible in New York and I will be fully focused on taking every opportunity.”

Team-mate Alex Lynn also had a good weekend as he secured his best result to date. After qualifying in the top 10, the Briton put in a strong performance to claim seventh place overall and six well-deserved points.

“Overall it was a great day for the team; Mitch on the podium and my best result for the team,” he says. “The upward trend continues for us as a team in this second half of the season, which is really exciting. We continued our points-run, so we will take this momentum with us to the season finale.”

Team Director James Barclay was proud of the team’s efforts throughout the weekend, adding: 

“We did very well today on a difficult racetrack – tight corners, a challenging circuit making it very difficult to overtake. It was a terrific drive from both drivers, but there were very few chances today. 

“We know the pace of the Jaguar I-TYPE 3, so it’s great to finally put all the pieces together and convert that back into good championship points. We will take that energy with us all the way to New York.”

In the drivers’ championship Mitch is now in third place, one point ahead of DS Techeetah’s André Lotterer, while Alex jumps up to 18th place ten points behind Geox Dragon’s Maximillian Günther.

In the team standings, Panasonic Jaguar Racing has climbed to seventh, closing the gap to BMW i Andretti Motorsport to just eight points.

The team will now head to New York for the double header of races on 13-14 July, with much still to play for. 

Gallery