Evans wins in Berlin, Rowland's Formula E title bid on hold
FILE PHOTO: Mitch Evans, Formula E racing driver for the Jaguar TCS Racing team, poses for a photo at the new technical headquarters of Jaguar TCS Racing in Kidlington, Britain, November 30, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
BERLIN - Jaguar's Mitch Evans won the first of two Formula E races in Berlin on Saturday as Nissan's Oliver Rowland failed to finish on a grey and soggy afternoon that left the Briton's title bid on hold for another day at least.
Rowland would have been champion with three races to spare had he finished 69 points clear of closest rival Pascal Wehrlein but instead he retired with a damaged car and his lead reduced to 50.
It was the leader's first retirement of the season.
Porsche's Wehrlein, the defending champion from Germany, finished second with a bonus point for fastest lap at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport circuit and Mahindra's Swiss driver Edoardo Mortara was third for his second successive podium.
Rowland can still clinch the title on Sunday if he finishes 59 points clear of Wehrlein, otherwise the chase continues to the final two races in London at the end of the month.
There are still 87 points to be won.
Rowland slipped from third to fifth at the start, with the safety car deployed after Jake Dennis's Andretti was stranded on the grid, but the key moment came six laps from the end when he made contact with Stoffel Van Doorne's Maserati and spun around.
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The impact damaged the car's right front suspension and Rowland had to stop.
The win, from pole position and through two safety car periods, was New Zealander Evans's second of the season and the record-equalling 14th of his career as well as Jaguar's 50th podium in Formula E.
McLaren's Taylor Barnard finished fourth and moved up to third in the championship, 68 points behind Rowland.
In the teams' championship, Porsche -- who had Antonio Felix da Costa demoted from third to 10th thanks to a five-second penalty for an overly-aggressive move -- have 221 points to Nissan's 191 and DS Penske on 153. REUTERS
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