Opinion
New Zealander Mitch Evans heads into the final two races of the 2021/22 Formula E season still in contention for the World Championship.
He sits 36 points behind Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne, despite winning two more races throughout the year. A mechanical issue resulting in a DNF during the second race of a double-header in London put him even further behind the Championship leader, and the Kiwi will need a miracle in Seoul to claim the title.
But a miracle has happened before, just not in Evans’ favour.
For the final race of season 7, Evans was in prime position to steal the title away from Vandoorne’s teammate Nyck de Vries.
13 drivers were mathematically still in contention for the title heading into the final race, but there were four main contenders. De Vries obviously the favourite, while Evans, BMW Andretti’s Jake Dennis and ROKiT Venturi driver Edo Mortara were more likely title winners.
The dutchman was leading the championship heading into the two races in Berlin, however his lead was dwindled to just four points ahead of second place Mortara after a puncture late in round 16 caused him to score no points.
His Championship aspirations were put further in doubt when he qualified poorly for the final race to start towards the back of the grid in P13.
Evans, who was fourth in the Championship but just 5 points behind de Vries, was strong during Super Pole to place his Jaguar on the second row in P3. Dennis was 3 rows back in P9, while Mortara started 11th.
All Evans needed to do to claim Formula E’s first ever World Championship was put together a good, clean race and keep de Vries, Dennis and Mortara in his rear-view mirror.
Unfortunately, Formula E is rarely ever easy.
When all five lights went out to start the Championship-deciding race, Evans’ car stopped. It lurched forward before what’s believed to be an electrical fault halted his car in its grid position.
The first four cars behind him of Tom Blomquist, Andre Lotterer and Jake Dennis managed to take avoiding action, but the fifth car of Mortara couldn’t see what was ahead and smashed into the back of Evans.
It was a scary incident, with Mortara immediately complaining on the radio of back pain. Both he and Evans got out of their cars pretty quickly with no serious injuries, and both of their Championship hopes were over before they even started.
A red flag was flown, and all cars went back into the pitlane as the marshals cleared up the wreckage of the Jaguar and ROKiT Venturi. It was great news for Dennis and de Vries, with two of their main rivals out, the Championship was in reach. But when the racing got back underway, Dennis hits the wall and crashes out of the title fight at turn one of the first full lap.
Dragon Penske driver Serio Sette Camara said it best, “Nobody wants to win this Championship, huh?”
So de Vries had a comparatively uneventful race, finished P8 and became the first ever Dutch World Champion by just nine points.
Evans didn’t seem as devastated as one might think, and calmly talked to reported after to say he was gutted, but that’s life. He knew he had a good car and a good team behind him, and that he could come back next season stronger than before.
And he did just that, scoring back-to-back wins in Rome and winning the first ever E Prix in Jakarta and put himself firmly in title contention. He looked to get even closer to Vandoorne at the double-header in London, but a DNF in the second race means he’s over a race win behind the Belgian with just 2 races to go.
To an outsider, it looks like Seoul is just a formality for Vandoorne to walk away with the title.
But crazier things have happened, especially in Formula E, and only an ignorant person would rule out Mitch Evans from claiming his first World Title next week.
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