Mitch Evans is looking to reverse his “fortunes”, which have very much gone in the “wrong direction” across Formula E’s three races in China, all of which proved nothing short of a disaster.
The New Zealander entered the first of three races in China last month – the Sanya E-Prix – with a 19-point championship lead and looked well placed to score a strong haul of points.
Unfortunately, he suffered major damage after Dan Ticktum launched over the back of his Jaguar, resulting in him failing to score.
Fast forward to the recent Shanghai double-header, and Evans started the opening race in second, only to fall to eighth after reporting a suspected issue affecting grip. With Pascal Wehrlein taking victory, his championship lead was cut to just three points.
A day later, in the second race, Evans struggled for performance in wet qualifying before failing to start the race due to a suspected DC/DC issue. Wehrlein finished fourth to seize a nine-point lead in the championship.
It has left Evans second in the standings ahead of next weekend’s crucial Tokyo double-header. With four races remaining, he is determined to get his title challenge back on track.
Asked if preparation changes are needed for Tokyo, Evans replied to RacingNews365: “I don’t think we really need to change anything, to be honest.
“A lot of it has been out of our control, but actually I think we’ve been pretty quick, apart from the wet in Shanghai.
“So I don’t think we need to change much. Things can change very quickly one way or the other. We just reset, do our usual preparation, and learn from what we’ve been doing in Tokyo to see if we can find more performance. Apart from that, it’s just business as usual.”
Jaguar’s previous Tokyo struggles
Unfortunately for the 32-year-old, the Japanese capital has been a difficult venue for both him and Jaguar since it joined the calendar in 2024.
That year, Evans finished 15th, while last season he failed to finish either race at Tokyo Big Sight.
He is more than aware of Jaguar’s previous struggles in Tokyo, but is hopeful that the event taking place later in the year than before, as well as under the lights, could improve the team’s chances.
“The only thing going into Tokyo is that it hasn’t been our best track in the past. We’ve really struggled there since we’ve been going.
“I think we’re in a better window now, so I’ve got a bit of hope, but it’s not like London, which is normally very strong for us.
“So it’s a different time of year, it’s a night race, and we’ll try our best. But yeah, it’s going to be a big fight until the end. Obviously, I was hoping for more after Sanya, but our fortunes have gone in the wrong direction.”