Mitch Evans wins the opening race of the 11th Formula E Season in São Paulo. He became the first driver in Formula E to win from last place. Rookie Taylor Barnard also made his mark with a P3 finish.
It was finally time for the Season 11 opener in São Paulo and with 31 laps, the drivers were keen to kickstart their first race. During the qualifying session for the FE São Paulo E-Prix, Sam Bird and Norman Nato focused on their performance despite Bird’s power cut in FP2.
In Group A, Bird set a strong lap of 1:12.394s, advancing alongside David Beckmann, Jean-Éric Vergne (JEV), António Félix Da Costa, and Oliver Rowland, while Jake Dennis topped the group with a remarkable 1:11.7s. Group B saw Zane Maloney start with a 1:13.338s, but a red flag due to Evans’ brake failure disrupted the session. After the restart, Wehrlein emerged as the fastest, clocking 1:11.717s.
In the duels, no Jaguar, Maserati, or McLaren drivers advanced. Rowland edged out Da Costa by 0.001s, Dennis upset Vergne, and Günther overcame Mortara. Wehrlein defeated Nato, leading to semifinals where Rowland narrowly beat Dennis and Wehrlein secured pole position over Günther by just 0.099s, highlighting the fierce competition.
Lights out in São Paulo
Just as the race was supposed to begin, the start was aborted, as Robin Frijns had a technical issue, that prevented him from starting. He was pushed off by the marshals and unfortunately, was unable to start at all.
It was a clean start for the drivers and Rowland got the advantage into turn 1, taking the lead from Wehrlein. Günther sat comfortably in third, but Dennis complained of damage caused by Günther.
Mitch Evans, who started last, gained ground and was in P15. An impressive move from the New Zealander.
JEV moved up to fourth place after the opening lap, going around the outside and up the inside.
Hughes and Müller crash
Jake Hughes and Nico Müller crash into each other on the exit of the chicane of Turn 5, prompting the safety car. Hughes and Müller found themselves in the corner, after trying to avoid contact with Envision’s Sebastian Buemi.
A big crash between Mueller and Hughes 👀
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024
The two cars came together on the exit of the chicane. Both drivers are OK
The @Porsche Safety Car is out #SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/YxfGBHnUa1
Racing was back underway, and it was a great restart for Rowland, managing to keep his position in first.
Nick Cassidy was the first driver to take his ATTACK mode, while Lucas Di Grassi, the only Brazilian driver on the grid, was dropping down the leaderboard. The Brazilian had to retire his car after technical problems, caused him to stop.
Cassidy was working his way up the back and was now in the front. Very impressive from the Jaguar driver, who took full advantage of his ATTACK mode, using full power.
The Porsche duo Pascal Wehrlein and Da Costa have also gone for their ATTACK mode, sliding into eighth and ninth. Meanwhile, Cassidy and Evans were swapping the fastest laps of the race, with Evans now working his way up the leaderboard.
Evans was now up to fourth place and his teammate Cassidy was going for the lead, but it stayed with Rowland.
Unfortunately for Taylor Barnard, Bird, and Nato, they have been handed drive-through penalties after overpowering.
Rowland now went for his ATTACK mode to hold off Cassidy.
Impressive rookies
Zane Maloney was looking strong, taking the fastest lap and also briefly took the lead.
Wehrlein was now in the lead but his teammate Da Costa was on his tail, challenging him for the lead. In a twist, Mortara was in third place.
On Lap 21, Dennis started to report that his Andretti had a problem and had to come to a stop between T1 and T2. He lost power and brakes. Reporting that his car was red, meaning that it was dangerous, the race had to be stopped. There was an isolation issue with the car.
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024
Jake Dennis has stopped out on track. There's an isolation issue with his car#SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/GavGs9vNVy
So far, the race was proving to be absolute mayhem. Dan Ticktum and Stoffel Vandoorne were under investigation for causing a collision. Vandoorne was shown the black and white flag, for contact with Ticktum.
Race resumed
The race finally resumed, but the starting order was shuffled. Da Costa started from the top spot, followed by Rowland and Günther. Wehrlein had to start fourth. Cassidy started from sixth and Evans in tenth.
It was a standing start on the grid and another great start for Rowland, who was able to retake the lead from Da Costa. Günther felt brace and charged around the outside to take second place.
Cassidy and Mitch Evans had the advantage of having one remaining ATTACK mode, which Cassidy used. He had four minuted and charged forward.
Tough luck for Maloney as he was the next driver to be handed a drive-through penalty after overpowering. Rowland was now under investigation for overpowering too.
Cassidy passed Günther for second and with Rowland under investigation, this was clearly a move for the lead. Meanwhile, Evans took his ATTACK mode and pushed forward to third, overtaking Da Costa.
On Lap 28, it was confirmed that Rowland was handed a drive-through penalty. This put Jaguar in a 1-2. Tough for the Nissan driver.
From last place to race lead, Evans was proving to be one to watch.
Major accident between Wehrlein and Cassidy
The red flag was waived after a big crash between Cassidy and Wehrlein down the main straight. Thankfully, the German driver was okay.
The incident started when Günther crashed into the barriers and to avoid contact with the stranded DS Penske, Cassidy squeezed Wehrlein on the corner, leading to Wehrlein’s car being flipped upside down.
A look at the incident between Wehrlein and Cassidy that brought out the red flag 🚩
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024
Pascal Wehrlein is out of the car#SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/QTFPUKfhwp
P3 start for Barnard, while Mitch Evans keeps P1
The new race order saw Mitch Evans start in first, followed by Da Costa. Rookie Barnard started from third place, supported by his teammate in fourth. Bird was given the order not to fight Barnard. Rowland, who was looking so strong this weekend, started from eighth.
It was a rolling start and although Barnard was in third, he had 4% more energy than Evans and Da Costa.
The safety car started to head back to the pits and Evans slowed down to set the pace.
Just as the safety car went in, four laps were added to the race.
A good start for Evans, but Da Costa was already on his tail, attacking the Jaguar driver for the lead. Barnard was showing great maturity, letting the two veteran drivers in front of him battle it out, knowing that he needed to save his energy.
The NEOM McLaren duo were showing great teamwork, when Bird told his engineer to let Barnard know to “go for it,” to avoid being overtaken by Mortara. This was a massive opportunity for the Rookie.
Mitch Evans wins the race!
Evans was still in the lead and held his own next to Da Costa. He was defending perfectly and drove a brilliant last sector, taking it home for the win! Da Costa finished in a strong second, and it was certainly a proud moment for Barnard, who has secured the first podium of his Formula E career. Bird and Mortara round out the top five.
LAST TO FIRST! 🤯
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 7, 2024
Incredible from @mitchevans_ 👊#SaoPauloEPrix pic.twitter.com/VOThNscmZx
