Mitch Evans scored his second Formula E victory of the season in a Jaguar one-two in a chaotic Berlin E-Prix - the first of two races this weekend. With three laps of additional time added to the initial 40 lap distance, Evans dived up the inside of leader Sebastien Buemi to nab the lead on Lap 40, pulling away as Envision racer Buemi held up Sam Bird in the sister Jaguar. Bird finally got past Buemi on the final lap at Tempelhof, but was too far behind to do anything about Evans as the Kiwi banked his second win on the trot after victory last time out in Sao Paolo. The final podium spot went to Max Gunther, who out-dragged Buemi to the line out of the final corner, as championship leader Pascal Wehrlein took sixth after only qualifying 15th for Porsche.
Energy demands key
Owing to the nature of the track, drivers were keen to avoid being in the lead, using their energy while others behind could save. As such, the race featured eight different leaders, an FE record with multiple lead changes as the field jockeyed for position, especially around the attack mode activations - which came very early, with leader Dan Ticktum and Buemi taking their first of the mandatory two on Lap 3. The fast-starting Ticktum was told to save energy in the NIO 333 machine, but dropped back into the pack by the time the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 12, quickly returning by the end of Lap 14. However, just six laps later, it was deployed again as Stoffel Vandoorne was taken out by an unsighted Ticktum, also collecting some cars behind as they came back across the track. The race subsequently settled down as Evans took this restart in P2, behind Eduardo Mortara, who had climbed from the midfield to be among the leading gaggle.
Wehrlein's recovery
The trio of Evans, Buemi and Bird broke away, with the fight for the win coming down to these three drivers, with Evans making the move on what was scheduled to be the last lap of the race. Championship leader Wehrlein endured a quiet first half of the race, not using his attack mode or getting involved in the leading squabble. He meticulously worked his way through the order, dropping to ninth in the closing stages as he took his second attack mode, but was able to climb back up to sixth place by the flag, banking eight points on a day nearest rival Jake Dennis retired after a late incident. Dennis out-broke himself at the hairpin, spinning across the track, breaking the suspension of Antonio Felix da Costa as he went. Nick Cassidy did finish fifth and so took two points out of Wehrlein's lead, but the lead is now 23 points. Jean-Eric Vergne, Andre Lotterer, Mortara and Oliver Rowland rounded out the points positions.
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