Evans: Formula E championship favourite tag “more relief” than pressure

The 29-year-old Kiwi remains with Jaguar for an eighth season in the all-electric championship, during which time he has challenged for the title on multiple occasions but always missed out on the ultimate prize.

Along with fellow New Zealander and new team-mate Nick Cassidy, both Jaguar drivers were in strong form during pre-season testing in Valencia, taking a clean sweep of fastest times in all sessions.

Having won four races last season and with the performance of the homologated Gen3 cars likely to be similar in 2024, it places Evans as one of the favourites for the championship.

“I definitely wouldn’t see it as extra pressure,” said Evans, when asked by Motorsport.com if being expected to win increased the pressure facing him this term.

“I would just see it as probably a bit more relief to be honest, just so that I can start the season strongly and then it’s up to us more than trying to unlock performance.

“When you’re in a position where you’ve got performance in the car, I wouldn’t say things come easier but it’s one less thing to worry about. Then it’s more down to us to execute a strong day.

“That’s where I really lacked last year, a little bit of performance but different circumstances stopped our first phase of the championship.

“That obviously hurt me in the long run and that’s obviously something I want to try and change.”

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

Mitch Evans, Jaguar Racing Antonio Felix da Costa, Porsche

Evans struggled for strong results in the opening races of last season, taking until the sixth race to register his first win having already fallen 66 points behind the championship lead.

He believes that consistency rather than standout results will be crucial if he is to land his first Formula E title.

“Look at Jake [Dennis, reigning champion], he won less races than us last year [two against four] but obviously was super consistent so that’s what it comes down to," said Evans.

“You need a few key results throughout the year but you just need to be scoring consistently.”

He added: “I’m feeling good but I think everybody has made a jump.

“Formula E as always, you have to get it right on the day, in qualifying and then obviously try and work out the race and try and optimise it.

“I think the performance should be strong but there’s still some unknowns.”