Evans takes emotional Formula E win in eventful Rome E-Prix

Mitch Evans has taken his third Formula E victory in emotional fashion at the Rome E-Prix.

Earlier in the day, the Jaguar driver had qualified in ninth for the event, with the Mercedes-EQ car of Stoffel Vandoorne lining up on pole.

Robin Frijns claimed second place on the grid in the Envision Racing, while Vandoorne's teammate, reigning champion Nyck de Vries, clinched third position.

Having previously won at the Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR street circuit, Vandoorne had reason to feel confident of another victory on the track.

The former F1 driver stated after qualifying: "Rome has historically been very good for me. You have to be so on the edge of the car... but that's what I like to do."

Evans dominates latter stages of Rome E-Prix

Vandoorne initially held the lead as Saturday's race got underway, though it proved to be a tumultous start, with the Safety Car deployed in the early stages following incidents for Oliver Rowland and Max Guenther.

Frijns soon pulled off an overtake on Vandoorne when the action resumed, and managed to build a gap to the two Mercedes-EQ cars behind.

However, as the race progressed, Vandoorne continued to switch places with Frijns and looked to have the stronger pace. The Belgian driver made a move between Turn 6 and 7 using Attack Mode, retaking the lead with 14 minutes remaining.

Behind them, though, Evans was making ground and eventually found himself behind Vandoorne and Frijns. Utilising the extra power boost of Attack Mode, the Jaguar driver got ahead of both cars to put himself at the front of the pack.

Evans quickly opened up a gap, and held on to this to secure his third victory in Formula E, and his second on the streets of Rome. The man from New Zealand was emotional as he pulled up in front of the podium following his win.

Meanwhile, it was Frijns who clinched second in the end, with Vandoorne claiming third spot. Behind them was the DS Techeetah of Jean-Eric Vergne in fourth and Evans' Jaguar teammate Sam Bird in fifth.

Evans' victory has moved him up to eighth in the Drivers' Standings, with Edoardo Mortara currently at the top of the rankings.