Evans’ 180 points was a stunning 75 better than his prior benchmark effort in his third campaign. A win double in Rome threw down the gauntlet for the chasing pack in a big way after a disappointing first few rounds. Second followed in Monaco but and up and down mid-season with wins at the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix and podiums in New York City and Marrakesh interspersed with a non-score in London and a best of only fifth in Berlin. A gutting retirement in London meant he had it all to do to overturn Stoffel Vandoorne come the Seoul finale. He did all he could with a win in the opener, but didn’t have enough in the tank to outdo the Belgian, settling for second in the table overall.
Evans started his motorsport career in karts at the age of six and won the NZ Grand Prix at the age of 16. Mentored by seasoned racer Mark Webber, the young driver went on to win the 2012 GP3 title. Moving to GP2 in 2013 and at aged just 18, while still a rookie, he became the youngest driver in GP2 history to stand on the podium after finishing third in Sepang, Malaysia.
Starting his all-electric racing career in 2016 ahead of Panasonic Jaguar Racing's debut season, the New Zealand driver's first season was marked by a fine fourth place finish in Mexico. Remaining with the team for a second season (2017/18), Evans put in a number of promising performances including Jaguar's first podium finish in Hong Kong and a Julius Baer Pole Position in Zurich. Despite no overall win that season, Evans outdrove his teammate Nelson Piquet Jr, finishing two places above the Brazilian and seventh overall.
For the 2018/19 season, Evans remained with the British racing squad. Piloting the team's Gen2 Jaguar I-Type 3, the Kiwi driver secured both his and Jaguar's first Formula E victory in Rome. Coming into the final round in New York City, Evans was amongst eight drivers in contention for the title but fell short after a collision with Audi's Lucas di Grassi in the final race and ended the year in fifth.
In his third season, Evans remained with Panasonic Jaguar Racing alongside British rookie James Calado, with the pair behind the wheel of the British marque's new I-Type 4 as they challenged for the 2019/20 Formula E title.
Evans bounced back from a slow start in opening double-header Diriyah to become an early title contender in 2019/20. The Kiwi driver followed up a podium finish in Santiago with a commanding victory in Mexico City, and despite a qualifying mishap in Marrakesh he flew through the field from the back of the grid to finish in sixth.
With the season recommencing with six races in Berlin, after racing was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, Evans and Jaguar didn't maintain their earlier form and dropped down the order in the final standings.
Continuing with the team for a fifth campaign, Evans will be looking to regain his form from the start of last season. The Kiwi will be joined by Sam Bird for the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, bringing together two successful Formula E stars in one of the strongest line-ups on the grid.
The Kiwi led the charge for the team in the Drivers' title chase after teammate Bird's retirement in Round 14. He looked to be in the box seat having taken third in race one, and given he'd qualified well ahead of his nearest championship rivals as well as standings leader and eventual World Champion Nyck de Vries. A technical issue prevented his getaway from the line, though, and abruptly halted a potential run at the title proper.
Season 8 proved to be his best yet in terms of points but it was still short of the pace required for a Drivers’ title. Can Evans make the leap in Gen3?