Formula E driver Jake Hughes admits he was "happy" to have been nudged over the finish line by Mitch Evans after running out of energy in the final moments of the Diriyah E-Prix. The McLaren racer had started the event from pole position but struggled with conserving as much energy as his rivals as the race unfolded, resulting in him losing positions. After utilising Attack Mode, Hughes was able to put himself ahead of the Jaguar of Evans. However, his attempts to hold on to fifth place used up more energy and his car lost power in the final moments. Despite this, Evans inadvertently nudged into the back of Hughes' car, pushing the McLaren over the line and enabling the Briton to keep P5, while Sebastien Buemi took advantage and overtook Evans to claim sixth. Elsewhere, Pascal Wehrlein claimed victory ahead of Jake Dennis and Rene Rast.
Hughes: I pushed it to the limit
Reflecting on the unusual finish, Hughes admitted after the race that he pushed to the limit during the event. "We were low on energy, and we had a choice basically in the last two or three laps: either lose the place, or to over-consume just enough to defend, into Turn 18 and 21," Hughes told Autosport . "The more you do that, the more difficult it gets each lap. So the last lap was pretty difficult. I managed to just about hold it into 18. And then the car was shouting at me basically to lift when I went into 21. "I still had to go past it to keep Mitch behind. I just got the derate, so I had no power on the exit. "In a roundabout way, I was quite happy to feel the nudge from Mitch, because I would've lost one or two places otherwise. "I pushed it to the limit – maybe a touch far in terms of, 'Yeah, I've actually got no power!'" Meanwhile, Evans was left feeling that he "should have finished fifth", while Buemi admitted he had been "opportunistic and lucky" by taking a place from Hughes.
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