Mitch Evans won the Sao Paulo E-Prix after a final-lap battle with fellow Jaguar-powered drivers Nick Cassidy and Sam Bird.
The three crossed the line half a second apart, with Evans’ defensive driving after sliding down to 10th in the Jaguar TCS Racing car proving the strongest strategy as the field had to account for four added laps due to Safety Car periods.
Pole-sitter Stoffel Vandoorne held a strong lead until the halfway stage but the ever-careful strategy from the Jaguar cars meant they were able to push to the finish with more energy to spare.
Vandoorne had to settle with sixth in his #1 DS Penske after he struggled with usable energy after his stint at the front.
This is Cassidy’s third consecutive round on the podium in 2023 and although the Envision Virgin driver led the race more than once around Sao Paulo Street Circuit, Evans’ Lap 32 move was enough to take the chequered flag first.
“I knew [how much energy Bird had], and that was the reason for getting Mitch to go. I knew getting the win would be pretty difficult,” said Cassidy.
“I’d have to do something special on Mitch to turn that around, but I was at a high risk of being third.
“Look, we all want to win. So I tried my best to win, but that’s where the cookie crumbled. We got one of the best outcomes.
“It’s all positive stuff—full credit to Jaguar, but also to Envision and my guys.”
A Safety Car had been called when Sasha Fenestraz’s Nissan stopped at Turn 6 on Lap 12, and another when Dan Ticktum collided with the rear of Jake Dennis’ Andretti on Lap 19.
That incident also involved championship leader Pascal Wehrlein but the Tag Heuer Porsche driver was able to climb to seventh by the finish and stay on top of the standings.
Formula E heads to Berlin for a double-header weekend on April 22-23, with the action streamed live, ad-free, and on-demand on Stan Sport.
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