Mitch Evans, from Jaguar TCS Racing, secured the first position in the qualifying for Race 1 of the double Portland E-Prix event. In an exciting head-to-head battle, Evans emerged victorious over Norman Nato from Andretti on Saturday. Despite a challenging start in his group, Evans consistently showed impressive speed throughout the duels. His exceptional lap time of 1:08.820 in the final ensured the pole position for Race 1. Nato, who initially qualified in second place with a lap time of 1:09.016s, will now start from the 12th position due to a 10-position grid penalty.
Securing the third position on the grid is Jake Hughes from McLaren, who will now start from the front row due to Nato’s penalty. Robin Frijns, after setting the fourth fastest time in the semifinals, will start in third. Meanwhile, Antonio Felix Da Costa from Porsche is ready to begin Race 1 in fourth place.
Dan Ticktum from ERT and Edoardo Mortara from Mahindra will form the third row, with Nico Müller from ABT and Pascal Wehrlein from Porsche starting on the fourth row. However, Wehrlein failed to advance from his group.
Sebastien Buemei from Envision will line up in ninth position, followed by Jake Dennis from Andretti securing the 10th place on the grid for Race 1.
For Jaguar, it was a mixed result as their points leader, Nick Cassidy, failed to advance from his group. Consequently, he will start from the 11th position on the grid for Saturday’s Race 1.
Mitch Evans’ achievement in securing the JuliusBaer Pole Position not only adds three crucial points to Jaguar Racing’s total, but also strengthens their pursuit of the Teams’ Championship. This could have a significant impact on the competition.
GROUPS:
The championship leader, Nick Cassidy, participated in Group A and needed to be among the four drivers who advanced to the duels to maintain his chances of winning the title. The same can be said of his teammate Mitch Evans from Jaguar, but his efforts were compromised when he went off track in the long right-hand turn. Despite this setback, Evans managed to temporarily secure first place in Group A, recovering well from his mistake. However, Cassidy failed to advance and suffered a major setback.
Hughes stood out as the fastest driver [1:09.775], followed by Evans [1:09.777], Sette Camara [1:09.849], and Di Grassi [1:09.942], with Cassidy dropping to eighth place. Alongside the championship leader, other notable drivers like Jean-Eric Vergne from DS Penske and Max Günther from Maserati also failed to advance. Sette Camara’s progress was short-lived as his laps were excluded, allowing Mortara to take his place.
Cassidy received some relief as his closest rival in the title race, Wehrlein from Porsche, also failed to advance in Group B. Ticktum from ERT advanced to the duels for the first time in Season 10 as the fastest driver [1:09.766s], followed by Da Costa [1:09.779], Frijns [1:09.849], and Nato [1:09.878]. Wehrlein missed out by a fraction of a second, as the entire Group B was covered by just over four tenths of a second.
Wehrlein was joined by Jake Dennis in the elimination from Group B. Rookie Caio Collet impressed by surpassing his Nissan teammate Sacha Fenestraz in his debut, replacing the ill Oliver Rowland.
DUELS:
The first duel of the Quarterfinals was between Di Grassi from ABT and Evans from Jaguar, and the fan vote heavily favored Evans, with an incredible 95%. Evans lived up to expectations and beat Di Grassi by 0.383 seconds.
Then, Mortara faced Hughes. The McLaren driver, who was the fastest in Group A, proved his dominance by defeating Mortara, who accepted defeat by going off track in turn 11.
In the third Quarterfinals, Frijns faced Da Costa, with the Envision driver participating in his first duel since Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Frijns had no problems in the Quarterfinals, as Da Costa went off track in the final sector, granting Frijns a place in the Semifinals.
The fourth and final Quarterfinal was between Nato and Ticktum, the fastest driver in Group B. Nato had the advantage, setting a lap time 0.083 seconds faster than the ERT driver, securing his advancement.
SEMIFINALS:
The first Semifinal pitted Evans against Hughes in a battle between the Jaguar and Nissan teams. However, Hughes was no match for Evans, as the Jaguar driver surpassed his McLaren competitor by 0.261 seconds, securing his place in the final.
The battle to determine who would face Evans in the Final took place between Nato and Frijns. Frijns had a big moment of oversteer in the opening chicane, putting him at a disadvantage from the start. He couldn’t recover, allowing Nato to advance to the Final.
FINAL:
Nato and Evans secured positions on the front row, but the Final would determine the pole position for Race 1 on Saturday in Portland. Although Evans was 0.117 seconds behind in Sector 1, he managed to turn the situation around and cross the finish line with a lead of 0.196 seconds, securing his second pole position of the year and earning three points in the championship.
© 2024
The Brazilian pilot, Lucas Silva, won the Formula 1 Grand Prix this Sunday. The thrilling race took place at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo. With an impressive performance, Silva overtook his competitors and crossed the finish line in first place.
The race started with a chaotic start, with several cars colliding and spinning on the track. However, Silva managed to avoid the incidents and quickly gained positions. With a perfect strategy and exceptional skill, he stood out throughout the race.
During the race, Silva faced strong competition from other renowned drivers, such as world champion Max Verstappen and veteran Lewis Hamilton. However, the Brazilian was not intimidated and remained focused on his goal of winning.
With this victory, Lucas Silva solidifies himself as one of the best drivers of today. His determination and talent are admired by fans around the world. We look forward to seeing more exciting achievements from the Brazilian pilot in the upcoming races.
The next stage of the Formula 1 championship will be held at the famous Monaco circuit. It will be interesting to see how Lucas Silva will perform on this challenging track. Stay tuned for more news and updates on the world of Formula 1.
