Misfortune struck for Mitch Evans in the finale, with the Kiwi leading the charge for the team in the Drivers' title chase after teammate Sam 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 a run at the title proper.
WATCH: Relive the battle to become Formula E's first World Champion
Evans was understandably emotional on the day, but philosophical given the progress the team has made on the way to second in the Teams' standings and his own run to fourth in the Drivers' table in what was perhaps the most competitive season in Formula E's history.
From every angle…
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) August 24, 2021
The DRAMATIC moment that changed the championship battle!
We are all incredibly grateful that Mitch Evans and Edo Mortara were able to walk away from this incident at the #BerlinEPrix. pic.twitter.com/GcZSYR5eLT
"I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved this year," said the Kiwi. "You just don’t want it to end like it did – especially given all the hard work we put in over the weekend to get ourselves really into contention. It was looking good in terms of track position with the guys behind me in terms of the championship battle and those around me weren’t really a threat for the title.
“Emotions are very raw right now,” said Evans immediately post-race. “I’m gutted for the whole team. To not even get a run at it is tough – we’d never had that issue before. Obviously, we’ll analyse it but it’s going to take a while for the pain to ease. There’s not much I can do right now.”
"I’m really happy for the team with the progress we’ve made. I think it’s a strong representation of what the team deserves and where they’re now at. We’ll come back fighting next year."
"Norman (Nato) had similar pace in race one, so I feel like I probably could have gone with him, but when things happen like they did you just don’t know – and it’s a sign it’s not really meant to be. We did everything right but unfortunately, fate wasn’t with us. After qualifying there was a lot of hype that I could potentially take it if I had a clean race but it wasn’t to be.
"I’m really happy for the team with the progress we’ve made in the Teams’ standings. I think it’s a strong representation of what the team deserves and where they’re now at. We’ll come back fighting next year."
"This has been our best season and we have made huge progress," added Team Principal James Barclay. "To be only four points off first place is an amazing achievement. We’ll be back next year to fight for the title and to make it to the top step.”
🇳🇿 #20 Mitch Evans - Season 7 of @FIAFormulaE🌍
— Jaguar Racing (@JaguarRacing) August 23, 2021
➡️ 4th Overall
➡️ 5 Podiums 🏆
➡️ 90 Points#JaguarElectrifies#RaceToInnovate#ABBFormulaEpic.twitter.com/B3evxbVtyG