Mitch Evans eyes ‘massive fight’ as Formula E title showdown awaits

Mitch Evans has his eyes firmly set on what is going to be a "massive fight" for the Formula E world title at the season-ending London E-Prix, following a disappointing weekend in Tokyo.

Evans entered the Japanese capital looking to end a run of three consecutive non-points finishes in China, which had seen him fall to second in the standings.

He rectified that in the opening race despite a disappointing qualifying session, recovering from 16th on the grid to finish fourth and reclaim the championship lead. However, it was short-lived.

For the second race, Jaguar fitted Evans' car with full wet tyre pressures in anticipation of further heavy rainfall, which never materialised. Instead, a drying track saw the New Zealander tumble to the back.

Ultimately, Evans retired on the final lap due to a right-rear tyre failure, but the damage of another scoreless round had already been done.

Asked if Shanghai was on his mind, Evans told RacingNews365: "It was. Our forecast said there was going to be heavy rain, or heavier rain, as the race was starting, and that another patch was going to come in as well.

"So we're still waiting for that to arrive," he joked. "As soon as it didn't, I knew we were going to be toast. But obviously, at the time, even when it was still wet, you don't know how many guys are on dry tyre pressures.

"So yeah, in those conditions at the start, we were competitive, we were good, but yeah, we got it massively wrong, unfortunately."

Evans' final Jaguar date

With Jake Dennis scoring 37 points in Japan, Evans heads to the season finale in London just two points adrift, but more than aware of what can go wrong in the British capital.

Season finales in London have never been kind to Evans, with Jaguar's complete collapse in Season 10 set to be a key talking point going into what is also his final weekend as a Big Cat driver after 10 years.

The final two races will be full of nerves and anxiety for all the title contenders, given what is at stake. Evans knows all too well how painful falling short can be.

"We just have to prepare as we usually do," added Evans. "We normally have a good package in London, and we hope that's the same and that there are no surprises.

"Qualify well and then, you know, put together two strong races. That's what we can do. Everyone's going to be stronger. It's going to be a massive fight. Yeah, look, I'm up for it."