“I’m More Than Capable of Being in F1” – Jaguar FE Driver Mitch Evans

For every young racer, reaching Formula One is considered the ultimate dream. However, the number of seats are limited and only the best 20 drivers reach the pinnacle of motorsport. One of the Formula One hopefuls was New Zealand driver Mitch Evans. Sadly, he missed out on a chance, but is currently having an excellent campaign in Formula E this season.

The 25-year old took over the championship lead from Stoffel Vandoorne ahead of this weekend’s Marrakesh ePrix. Recently in a conversation with BBC Sport, Evans confessed that the journey to F1 is “brutal”.

He admitted, “It was tough. I worked so hard and got so close, but Formula E was starting to grow and Jaguar gave me a lifeline. F1 is brutal – I’ve beaten a lot of the guys in the [F1] championship.”

The Kiwi has racked up two Formula E victories, a 2012 GP3 title and four years in Formula 2. Formula 2 is largely considered the stepping stone to F1, but nobody in the F1 paddock has knocked on his door yet.

Mitch Evans disclosed that he endured a tough journey all the way from New Zealand to where he is today. So, to not get to F1 was a tough pill to swallow.

He declared, “I know I’m more than capable of being in F1, but it’s so political that timing is everything – it’s probably going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”

Does Mitch Evans have any regrets?

A few years ago, Evans would have been gutted to miss out on an F1 berth. Now, he has acknowledged that he is “in a really good place in my life now.”

His only connection to Formula One is his manager Mark Webber, a former F1 driver. The ex Red Bull driver scouted the Kiwi in Australia and helped him move to Europe in 2010. When Jaguar made its Formula E debut in 2016, they recruited Evans and he has delivered spectacular results since then.

He recently took his second career victory in Mexico earlier this month. Starting from 2nd on the grid, he overtook a slow-starting Andre Lotterer for the lead and never looked back since.

Clearly, Evans loves it in Formula E because of its unpredictable nature. The perfect example is the 2018-19 season, which saw eight different winners in the first eight races.

In this series, all cars have the same battery and chassis. Teams can develop their own drivetrain, and anybody can have a chance to grab pole position or a race win.

The 25-year old divulged that such an element can make a typical Formula E race. exciting. This is because everyone has a chance to win or grab points. Even after a poor qualifying session, they are still in with a shout. On the other hand, a low qualifying position in F1 will most likely end up with a driver finishing the race in that position or 1-2 places above of below.