Chaos in São Paulo: Mitch Evans Triumphs from Last to First as Pascal Wehrlein Escapes Dramatic Crash Unscathed

Formula E in São Paulo: Evans Triumphs in Chaotic Race from Last Place, Wehrlein Involved in Rollover

By Timo Pape, December 7, 2024, 8:02 PM

Mitch Evans emerged victorious at the chaotic Formula E season opener in São Paulo, starting from the very last position on the grid! Antonio Felix da Costa finished in second place, while Taylor Barnard pulled off a remarkable third-place finish for McLaren, despite having been lapped earlier in the race. The event saw two red flag interruptions, one of which was due to a dramatic rollover by Pascal Wehrlein, who fortunately escaped without injury.

As everyone anticipated the start, an initial incident occurred: Robin Frijns was frantically waving his hands because his Envision car had completely shut down, leading to an initial suspension of the start. Track marshals pushed the Jaguar customer car backward through the starting grid and eventually back into the pit lane. The race began with a delay of a little over four minutes. Pole sitter Pascal Wehrlein did not get off the line as well as his qualifying final opponent, Oliver Rowland, resulting in the British driver in the Nissan taking the lead. Behind them, Max Günther overtook Jake Dennis, who then reported minor damage to his front right and complained about Günther over the radio: „Max is just being Max.“

The São Paulo race kicks off with a thrilling start as Oliver Rowland overtakes Pascal Wehrlein to take the lead! #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/ZoVbzkMxQM — Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

Mitch Evans had an exceptional start, advancing from last place to 15th within just one lap! Sam Bird also gained several positions. In the second lap, there was a more serious collision: almost simultaneously in Turn 6, slight contacts occurred between Jake Hughes and Sebastien Buemi as well as between Nico Müller and David Beckmann. Hughes lost control first and slid sideways into the wall at the exit of the turn, followed by Müller, who experienced the same fate directly behind him. He skidded into the already crashed Maserati. Both drivers were unable to continue and had to be towed away. The race officials deployed the safety car onto the track.

A significant collision occurred involving Mueller and Hughes as their vehicles made contact while exiting the chicane. Thankfully, both drivers are unharmed. The Porsche Safety Car has been deployed. #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/YxfGBHnUa1

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

In the sixth round out of 31, the race picked up pace once more. At the restart, the leaders maintained their positions without any overtaking. Soon after, the first drivers activated their mandatory Attack Modes for the first time, out of the two required uses. This season, the new all-wheel-drive mode significantly amplifies the impact of the high-performance mode. As a result, Nick Cassidy swiftly advanced to the front of the pack. Meanwhile, local favorite Lucas di Grassi had to retire his Lola Yamaha ABT due to a technical issue, which also left him with a damaged front wing.

In the 11th lap, Norman Nato took the lead from Cassidy while in attack mode. However, bad news struck for the Nissan driver and both McLaren pilots: all three received a drive-through penalty for „power overuse“ because the Nissan cars had briefly drawn too much energy from their batteries. As a result, they dropped to the back of the pack. Cassidy regained the lead but had already used two percent more energy due to the attack mode. By the 13th lap, Rowland was back in front, while the two Porsche drivers were now racing at the lower end of the top 10.

Red Flag after Dennis Malfunction

Shortly before the race reached its halfway point, Rowland was the last driver to activate his first Attack Mode, yet he maintained his lead. Following him at this stage were Cassidy, Dennis, Evans, Nyck de Vries, and rookie Zane Maloney. In terms of energy levels, things looked particularly favorable for Rowland, Dennis, and Felix da Costa. Meanwhile, Wehrlein fought his way back to the front using Attack Mode, taking the lead for the first time in the 18th lap of the Sao Paulo E-Prix. His teammate employed the same strategy and overtook Rowland a lap later, securing a one-two lead for Porsche.

Rowland responded by activating his second Attack Mode, briefly dropping to fourth place behind de Vries. At that point, all of the top five drivers were using Attack Mode. On lap 20, Felix da Costa overtook his Porsche teammate Wehrlein to take the lead. Dennis faced a tense moment when his brakes failed to work properly as he approached Turn 1, causing him to go straight ahead. Fortunately, he stopped without hitting another car, but his Andretti car displayed a „red“ status, indicating it was unsafe. As a result, race officials had to suspend the E-Prix with a red flag.

? RED FLAG ? Jake Dennis has come to a halt on the circuit. His vehicle is experiencing an isolation problem. #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/GavGs9vNVy — Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

Rowland lost about 3 minutes and 30 seconds of Attack Mode, but he still managed to move up in the adjusted standings. When the red flag was shown, it was Felix da Costa who was in the lead. The drivers right behind them—Günther, Wehrlein, and Mortara—had all already completed both of their Attack Modes. This situation seemed favorable for Felix da Costa and Rowland. However, both Jaguar drivers still had one Attack Mode available. At this point, Cassidy was in 6th place, which suddenly gave him a strong chance to win, while his teammate Evans was in 11th place. McLaren, with its remaining Attack Modes, was also suddenly considered a dark horse for a podium finish.

Drama for Rowland as Jaguar Makes Its Way Through the Field

After a very long interruption of more than half an hour, the race finally resumed with a standing start. Rowland got off to a better start once again, overtaking Felix da Costa in the process! Wehrlein also lost a position. Suddenly, Günther found himself in second place behind Rowland. In the 24th lap, Cassidy activated his second attack mode, initially dropping to 8th place. He then launched an aggressive push forward. Meanwhile, Maloney was handed a drive-through penalty for „power overuse,“ and David Beckmann, making his debut as a full-time driver, dropped to the back of the field due to damage to his car’s left rear, which forced him to pit.

The race is back on! Oliver Rowland overtakes António Félix da Costa at the first corner as the competition heats up. Only nine laps are left in the São Paulo E-Prix. #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/cplSjR7r9Z

As anticipated, Cassidy swiftly moved up through the field and was in second place with four laps remaining. However, his attack mode expired with a 2.5-second gap behind Rowland. Then came the second all-wheel-drive Jaguar: Evans, like his teammate before him, charged through the field and soon took third place. Disaster struck for Nissan as the leader, Rowland, was handed a drive-through penalty for „power overuse,“ dropping him to twelfth place. In the 29th lap, Evans overtook his teammate Cassidy to seize the lead! Due to the Safety Car, the race length was extended from 31 to 35 laps.

World Champion Wehrlein Faces a Dramatic Turn of Events

In a surprising move, Felix da Costa launched an unexpected attack on Cassidy, overtaking him to secure second place. Following closely, the two McLaren cars, benefiting from Attack Mode and a significant energy advantage, surged forward after having spent significant time trailing the pack as lapped vehicles. What ensued was pure chaos: Wehrlein, Cassidy, and Günther found themselves side by side heading into the corner. Initially, contact occurred between Cassidy and Günther, resulting in Günther sliding into the right barrier. During this incident, Cassidy’s car might have also sustained damage, potentially affecting his steering capabilities.

In any case, during the next right-hand turn, he veered into Wehrlein, who was driving to his left, causing Wehrlein to be lifted off the ground. Wehrlein’s Porsche became airborne, smashed into the catch fence, rolled over, and eventually came to a stop upside down. The race officials immediately halted the event with a red flag. The most important news: Wehrlein announced over the team radio that he was unharmed. A few minutes later, a crane flipped the Porsche back onto its wheels, allowing Wehrlein to exit the vehicle with the help of safety personnel and be taken to the medical center.

Pascal Wehrlein, the current world champion, was involved in a significant collision with Nick Cassidy. Pascal confirmed he was unharmed and exited the vehicle soon after the incident. This occurred at the São Paulo E-Prix, as shared on Twitter by Formula E on December 7, 2024.

Final Stage: Evans Secures a Dramatic Finish

At 19:47 CET, the field of racers returned to the track behind the safety car. With four laps remaining, the top five positions were held by Evans, Felix da Costa, Barnard, Bird, and Mortara. This time, a rolling start was initiated, with Evans setting the pace. The New Zealander successfully defended his lead, despite Felix da Costa’s aggressive presence in his rearview mirror. The closing laps were filled with excitement, as Evans skillfully maintained his position.

In the final lap, both Evans and Felix da Costa faced the risk of running out of energy, but they managed to cross the finish line just in time. Mitch Evans clinched victory from the back of the grid in the opening race of the 2024/25 Formula E season, marking his 13th career win. Felix da Costa secured second place, while Taylor Barnard delivered a remarkable performance by reaching the podium in his debut as a full-time driver. „I just can’t believe it,“ he radioed to his McLaren team. Barnard’s podium finish made him the youngest in Formula E history, surpassing Daniel Abt.

MITCH EVANS MAKES STUNNING COMEBACK! ?An extraordinary performance by @mitchevans_ ?#SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/VOThNscmZx

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

The drivers‘ standings for the World Championship closely reflect the race results. McLaren is leading among the teams, with a narrow two-point advantage over Jaguar. Porsche and Mahindra are in third and fourth place, respectively. In the new manufacturers‘ championship, however, Jaguar holds a two-point lead over Nissan, with Porsche again in third position. Lola Yamaha was the only manufacturer to finish without any points during its Formula E debut.

The next Formula E race is scheduled for January 11th in the new year, when the electric racing series will visit Mexico for its second event of the season.

Results & Times

Overall Standings (Drivers, Teams & Manufacturers)

A massive collision involving our reigning world champion, Pascal Wehrlein, and Nick Cassidy occurred. Pascal assured that he was unharmed and exited the car shortly afterward. #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/i2kCk2Gqvy

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

Final Phase: Evans Manages to Reach the Finish Line

At 7:47 PM CET, the field returned to the track once more, following the Safety Car. At this stage, only four laps remained. The top five drivers were Evans, Felix da Costa, Barnard, Bird, and Mortara. This time, the race resumed with a „flying“ start, with Evans setting the pace. The racer from New Zealand held onto his lead, though Felix da Costa was looming aggressively in his rearview mirror. The closing laps were filled with tension, but Evans skillfully defended his position.

In the final lap, both Evans and Felix da Costa faced the risk of running out of energy before the finish line. However, they managed to make it just in time. Mitch Evans, starting from the back of the grid, claimed victory in the opening race of the 2024/25 Formula E season, marking his 13th career win! Felix da Costa secured second place, while Taylor Barnard made an impressive debut as a regular driver by landing on the podium. „I just can’t believe it,“ he radioed to his McLaren team. Barnard became the youngest driver ever to stand on a Formula E podium, surpassing Daniel Abt’s record.

From Last Place to Victory! ?An astonishing performance by @mitchevans_ ?#SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/VOThNscmZx

— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024

The standings in the driver’s championship closely mirror the race results. In the team rankings, McLaren is in the lead, holding a two-point advantage over Jaguar. Porsche and Mahindra are positioned in third and fourth place, respectively. Conversely, in the new manufacturer’s championship, Jaguar is at the forefront, maintaining a two-point lead over Nissan. Porsche also occupies the third spot here. Lola Yamaha, participating in its Formula E debut, was the only manufacturer not to score any points.

The upcoming Formula E race is scheduled for January 11 in the new year. At that time, the electric racing series will make a stop in Mexico for its second event of the season.

Results & Schedules

Overall Standings (Drivers, Teams & Manufacturers)

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