Mitch Evans passed polesitter Andre Lotterer to win the Rome E-Prix and score Jaguar Racing’s first ABB FIA Formula E victory.
The race was red-flagged due to an early crash that blocked the track, as Jose Maria Lopez slid into the wall at the Turn 17/18 chicane – causing Gary Paffett and Jean-Eric Vergne to pile up behind him and several other drivers to become stuck.
Lotterer had held the lead from pole ahead of Evans and a fast-starting Stoffel Vandoorne, and when racing finally resumed after a 45-minute delay, the DS Techeetah driver held the lead.
The Kiwi driver almost undid his hard work by failing to activate attack mode for the second time, allowing Lotterer to close back in, using both of his uses of the power boost. But Evans was just able to keep ahead when he went wide for his second attack mode use.
Lotterer remained close in the final minutes, but was unable to find a way back ahead – with Evans crossing the line with just 0.979 in hand for his and Jaguar’s first FE win. The British marque becomes the seventh different team to win a race this season.
Vandoorne completed the podium for HWA, while Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) passed Nissan e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi for fourth late in the race.
Oliver Rowland made it two Nissans in the top six, while Jean-Eric Vergne came seventh on the road but was demoted out of the points after picking up a penalty for overtaking under Full Course Yellow.
Mahindra’s Jerome d’Ambrosio, who finished ninth after Vergne’s penalty, has taken a one-point lead in the championship ahead of pre-race points leader Antonio Felix da Costa, who was eighth.
Sam Bird (Virgin) narrowly missed out on a point in 11th, recovering from being forced into the wall by Jose Maria Lopez on the very opening lap of the race – with the red flag giving his team the chance to repair his car.
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