How Evans kept cool in Jakarta heat to renew his Formula E title push

Jean-Eric Vergne had comfortably taken a landmark pole for Formula E's first visit to Indonesia and looked set to win his first race of a highly consistent campaign. But the DS Techeetah driver couldn't answer a late attack from Jaguar's Mitch Evans, who profited from the Frenchman's change in battery management tactics to seize a third win of the campaign

Jake Boxall-Legge Jun 6, 2022, 11:22 AM

Two big cats fought valiantly over the spoils on offer at Formula E’s first race in Jakarta. One cat, the DS Techeetah squad, had arguably roared the loudest earlier in the day, snarling its way to the head of the timing charts in both practice and qualifying with apparent ease.

But the elusive prey it spent the day – or arguably the whole opening half of the season – stalking through the repaved streets around the Ancol Beach mall was intercepted by the original Big Cat. Jaguar – or most pertinently Mitch Evans – snatched the lead of the race with a single swipe, pouncing on polesitter Jean-Eric Vergne when the two-time champion was at his most vulnerable.

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Author Jake Boxall-Legge

Jake Boxall-Legge Autosport’s Technical Editor. Having studied Automotive Engineering with Motorsport at the University of Hertfordshire, West Country-born Jake's original ambition was to design racing cars. During a year between studies in which he accidentally rekindled a love of writing, he took up a Master's in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes. Halfway through his master's year, he was offered a place on the Autosport Academy, conducting occasional freelance duties before becoming the press officer for Formula 2 and GP3 in 2018. Autosport offered him a return to the fold later that year to serve as its Technical Editor. His voice appears on a number of videos and podcasts, and can often be found writing about terrible Formula 1 cars in excruciating detail. In his spare time, Jake enjoys baking and blames his failure to make it past the Great British Bake-Off interviews on his tenuous grasp on choux pastry. His dream is to open a brunch cafe - and his willingness to make outrageous puns in inappropriate situations has earned him the contempt of his colleagues.