Another qualifying disaster for Jaguar as Evans’ time deleted

After disastrous timing took a highly competitive Mitch Evans out of qualifying yesterday, Jaguar have once again suffered from errors despite their pace as Evans’ second-place Super Pole time is deleted today.

Yesterday Evans was unable to set a time in his group qualification, being sent out too late to be allowed to record a lap. He was sent to the back of the grid once for that and then again at the race restart due to an FIA error.

Today, it seemed the team had gained valuable experience – this is only their second year and first time ever being able to compete in Super Pole – with Evans setting the fastest time in group qualifying and going on to the final five.

Super Pole times were more varied, with drivers struggling against colder tyres than in the group stage but Evans managed to take second place, only one and a half tenths behind fourth-time pole sitter Felix Rosenqvist.

Scrutineering after the session, however, has led to Evans’ time being deleted. The maximum amount of energy allowed to be deployed by the power train during qualifying laps is 200kw, which Evans’ car was shown to have exceeded.

Two drivers (Rosenqvist and Engel) were issued penalties during the race yesterday for exceeding race energy usage and several drivers seem to have struggled with it, while managing regeneration and usage requirements without a link to their team due to radio problems. However, Evans’ is the only qualifying time to be deleted thus far.

The Jaguar team were rookies here last year and to go from starting the race knowing that Evans’ second car was broken and he would be unable to finish to contending for pole position in just one season is no mean feat. But once again shows the technical perfection necessary to compete at the highest levels in Formula E.

Having lost his Super Pole time, Evans will start from fourth place, officially classified behind Sam Bird, who faces a grid penalty to take him from fourth to fourteenth place.