Formula E: Evans tops Practice 3 in Diriyah

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans turned the fastest lap in Diriyah E-Prix’s third free practice session, beating Dan Ticktum by 0.149s

Jean Eric-Vergne was 3rd for Dragon Racing, 0.223s behind

Qualifying is up next, with the sun still high in the sky.  The race later today, the 2nd of the weekend, will be run under the lights.

Despite the conditions not being completely representative of today’s night race, the Jaguar team will be hoping this result can translate into a solid qualifying result for the team. This is the second time a Jaguar has topped a session this weekend, with yesterday’s third-place star, Sam Bird, going fastest in FP1 on Thursday – he wound up fifth here.

NIO 333 have continued to demonstrate that they’re not to be underestimated, as the Anglo-Chinese squad once again had Dan Ticktum at the front of the pack. Although Evans slotted into the top spot in the final moments of FP3, Ticktum sat comfortably in first for most of the session and looked on track to finish quickest again, as seen in FP2 yesterday – the team’s one-lap pace looks strong.

After looking pretty anonymous so far this weekend, early favourites ​​DS PENSKE found themselves up the order in third once the chequered flag was out. Two-time Formula E champ Jean-Eric Vergne was just 0.223s off Evans’ time, with teammate and reigning champ Stoffel Vandoorne finishing the session in ninth.

Although Porsche powertrains appear to be in the best shape so far this season, Avalanche Andretti’s Andre Lotterer was the only 99X Electric Gen3 to make it into the top 10 in FP3. Yesterday’s winner, TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, was down in 18th, with championship leader Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) in 17th.

Almost as soon as the session began, Race Control issued a yellow flag for a stationary ABT CUPRA. Kelvin van der Linde, who is currently experiencing his first Formula E weekend, was forced to come to a halt after complaining about his car’s brakes. The South African racing driver is replacing Formula E veteran Robin Frijns as he recovers from surgery on his hand. It looked like a quick reboot got him going, though.

However, despite complaining that the issue “felt like I’m being pushed” around the Saudi street circuit, van der Linde got back on track and set a faster time than his experienced ABT CUPRA teammate Nico Mueller.

Mahindra Racing’s Lucas di Grassi spent a chunk of the valuable practice session in the garage after he smacked his machine into a barrier – a rare mistake for the former Formula E champion. He wound up right at the back in 22nd spot.

Both Maserati MSG Racing cars were out on the track after their troubles yesterday. Maximilian Guenther was forced to miss yesterday’s E-Prix after a big impact with the barriers meant Maserati couldn’t repair his car in time. A busy night for the squad sees both make today’s running.

Practice 3 Results