A Miami E-Prix Saturday in the upside down ends with Jaguar’s Evans winning
Saturday’s Miami E-Prix qualifying and race dived ever deeper into an upside down alternate universe — first-time polesitter, unexpected weather, many of this season’s top drivers starting at the back and staying there — ended with Formula E’s winningest driver taking the checkered.
But even Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans’ record 15th Formula E World Championship victory fit the topsy turvy day at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens.
Total points in the first two races this season between Evans and Jaguar teammate Antonio Felix Da Costa, who has 12 Formula E wins himself: zero.
“It’s something to be proud of,” Evans said of breaking out of a tie with Sebastian Buemi for career wins. “Hopefully, it can lead us to reset our season. It’s been a tough start. Low pace, not quite there, especially in the dry this weekend. So, the rain really saved me. I know ultimate pace is still lacking a little bit.
“Today, in the wet, the car was hooked up from the first corner,” Evans said. “I don’t know what they did. We have to do the opposite in the dry because it worked well in the wet. The team kind of gave me a rocketship.”
Starting ninth, Evans barged forward using only two of his eight Attack Mode minutes (50kwh more power, four-wheel drive), then dominated the last third of the race and won by a comfortable 3.15 seconds from polesitter Nico Mueller. Mueller’s Porsche teammate, Pascal Wehrlein, finished third, 8.8 seconds behind Evans.
Evans took the lead with a slick crossover move in the last hairpin, heading outside Mueller, thus forcing Mueller to defend the high line. When Mueller did that successfully, Evans cut hard inside him to take the lead as they entered the front straight.
“Would’ve loved to grab the win when you start from pole, but I’ll take it — double podium for Porsche and repaying their confidence in me,” said Mueller, who’s in his first year with Porsche.
With rain gently coming down and soaking the track for about 40 minutes before the start time, the first five laps were run behind the safety car. Once the race started, Andretti FE’s Felipe Drugovich, starting third, employed his Attack Mode, forcing Mueller and Mahindra’s Nyck De Vries to use theirs. Wehrlein also used some Attack Mode to join the lead pack as the field strung out in a manner uncommon to Formula E races.
Mueller theorized the rain actually cut down on the chaos factor that usually runs high in Formula E races. He said he heard only one crunch behind him. That might’ve been when Drugovich violently rear-ended Da Costa, taking both out of contention for the win on lap 27 of 41.
Da Costa still salvaged four championship points with an eighth place finish. Drugovich finished 18th.
Citroen’s Nick Cassidy still leads the season points standings, despite being zeroed on Saturday. Wehrlein jumped up to second with 38 points, two behind Cassidy’s 40. Andretti’s Jake Dennis, never a factor Saturday, drops to third with 37 points and defending series champion Oliver Rowland fell to fourth with 34 points after not scoring.
First time pole sitter at a first time track
The weirdness started early in qualifying. Formula E’s first stage of qualifying splits the drivers into two groups and the four drivers in each group with the best single lap in each group making it through to the second stage. At the second stage, Formula E seeds the eight remaining drivers into an eight-driver ladder tournament, “Duels.” Best lap wins each Duel.
Among the surprises not making it out of the first stage were Rowland; Wehrlein (2023-24); Dennis; Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum, fast all season and quickest in Friday’s practice. Cassidy, winner of five of the last eight races going back to last season, lost in the duels quarterfinals to De Vries.
The final pitted two drivers who would be considered their team’s No. 2s: Mueller and Felipe Drugovich. Drugovich nipped Penske’s Taylor Barnard by one thousandth of a second, 55.700 to 55.701, in the quarterfinal and put down the fastest lap of the day, 55.393, in the semifinal against Da Costa.
But, in the final Mueller edged the Brazilian 55.445 seconds to 55.584.
This story was originally published January 31, 2026 at 4:20 PM.
