Evans Embraces Formula E Championship Favorite Status as “More a Source of Relief than Pressure”

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Evans: Formula E championship favourite tag “more relief” than pressure

The 29-year-old Kiwi remains with Jaguar for an eighth season in the all-electric championship, during which time he has challenged for the title on multiple occasions but always missed out on the ultimate prize.

Along with fellow New Zealander and new team-mate Nick Cassidy, both Jaguar drivers were in strong form during pre-season testing in Valencia, taking a clean sweep of fastest times in all sessions.

Having won four races last season and with the performance of the homologated Gen3 cars likely to be similar in 2024, Evans is one of the favorites for the championship.

Evans Embraces Formula E Championship Favorite Status as "More a Source of Relief than Pressure"
Evans Embraces Formula E Championship Favorite Status as “More a Source of Relief than Pressure” (Credits: Motorsports)

“I definitely wouldn’t see it as extra pressure,” said Evans, when asked by Motorsport.com if being expected to win increased the pressure facing him this term.

“I would just see it as probably a bit more relief, to be honest, just so that I can start the season strongly, and then it’s up to us more than trying to unlock performance.

“When you’re in a position where you’ve got performance in the car, I wouldn’t say things come easier, but it’s one less thing to worry about. Then it’s more down to us to execute a strong day.

“That’s what I really lacked last year: a little bit of performance, but different circumstances stopped our first phase of the championship.

“That obviously hurt me in the long run, and that’s obviously something I want to try to change.”

Evans struggled for strong results in the opening races of last season, taking until the sixth race to register his first win, having already fallen 66 points behind the championship lead.

He believes that consistency rather than standout results will be crucial if he is to land his first Formula E title.

“Look at Jake [Dennis, reigning champion]. He won fewer races than us last year [two against four] but obviously was super consistent, so that’s what it comes down to,” said Evans.

“You need a few key results throughout the year, but you just need to be scoring consistently.”

He added: “I’m feeling good, but I think everybody has made a jump.

“Formula E, as always, you have to get it right on the day, in qualifying, and then obviously try and work out the race and try and optimize it.

“I think the performance should be strong, but there’s still some unknowns.”

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By Jayson O'Neil

Jayson is a car-o-holic, and you will often find him writing about cars & bikes here at DaxStreet. You can reach out to him at [email protected]

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