The Kiwi, who was leading the race at the start of the final lap, was forced to settle for second after an outrageous overtake from his former teammate, NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird in the race’s final moments.
“It's a hard one to accept,” Evans reflected after the chequered flag. “I feel like we did all the right steps but unfortunately the last lap I had a battery derate through temperature. I had not much top speed and it was getting worse throughout the lap. So, I knew it was gonna be tight.”
Temperatures in São Paulo reached the high thirties, which can not only impact the drivers but also affect the cars and their performance. Get a battery too hot, and it can have disastrous consequences such as the car grounding to a halt.
HIGHLIGHTS: 2024 São Paulo E-Prix, Round 4
“I had enough energy to basically go flat to the finish. But it's just really disappointing. I feel like we did all the right steps and these races are really hard to manage, but is what it is.”
Evans won this race last year, with the Jaguar squad locking out the top three places with their powertrains. However, in Season 10 it was a different story as Evans’ teammate Nick Cassidy was forced to retire after sustaining damage to his front wing and only Sebastien Buemi of Envision Racing finished within the points, claiming 10th.
Evans passed Bird for the lead of the race in the closing stages, mirroring his jump for the race win just 12 months ago, however it wasn't to be for the New Zealander.
The last lap pass of Bird on Evans will go down as one of the craziest moves the championship has ever seen, and makes it four different winners in the first four races of the year. It also marks the first win for Bird since New York in 2021 and the first for NEOM McLaren in the all-electric championship.
“On the other hand, I'm really happy for Sam,” Evans continued, the two working together during Bird’s time at the team. “He's had a tough few seasons and to see him get a win again, especially in his new colours, I'm super happy for him.
REPORT: Sam Bird seals NEOM McLaren's first win with last-gasp stunner in São Paulo
“But look, it's good points for me. I would have taken a second coming into this weekend just in terms of my championship position. But the win was right there; not today.”
Evans now moves up into third in the World Championship standings, with teammate Cassidy still on top despite not fishing the race.
“He had a good overlap, but also I just had no power,” the 10-time race winner summarised. “He would have got me to the line anyway. I was a bit of a sitting duck. When a derate comes in, it comes in really aggressively and you lose power very quickly. I think a lot of the field did suffer from that. But obviously the two Nissan powertrains were really strong with that, so it's something for us to work on.”