Mood at Jaguar dampened despite 1-2 victory in Madrid: "I understand it, but it's frustrating in the car!"

The Madrid E-Prix was a great success for Jaguar TCS Racing: Antnio Felix da Costa and Mitch Evans finished the race in first and second place. But despite the good result, the mood at the end of the race was very sombre, at least on Evans' side of the garage. The New Zealander was of the opinion that his team-mate should have let him past.

For Antonio Felix da Costa, the race in Madrid was something special. He himself had described the race as a kind of home race, as many friends and family members had come to the race. In the press conferences, he spoke of 80 to 100 people for whom he had organised tickets. "It wasn't cheap and I probably got a good deal," he said with a laugh, as he had paid for the tickets himself. However, he finished the race on the top step of the podium, so was able to put on a good show for his guests.

However, if it was up to his team-mate Evans, the race should have ended differently: Mitch Evans was visibly angry after the race. He was convinced that the team should have instructed Felix da Costa to let him through; he still had more energy in his battery towards the end of the race. The New Zealander started the race from 16th on the grid and had fought his way to the front with a very effective attack mode and a cleverly chosen time for the pit boost. Shortly before the end of the race, he found himself right behind his team-mate at the front of the field.

Felix da Costa: "When I looked in the mirrors, I had to look twice"

An impressive performance from Evans and his team: "It started on lap 1. I tried to give myself a big energy advantage so I could extend my pit stop window and that really helped. I overtook a few drivers and that gave me a good starting position for the race."

The power of the Attack Mode, which transported the New Zealander from the very back of the field to the front, also took Evans slightly by surprise, he admitted when asked by e-Formula.news. Even his team-mate was surprised to see Evans behind him: "When I looked in the mirror and saw him, I had to look twice - was that really him? So it must have been an incredible race from him and I want to look at it again and learn from it. Today we got it right with both cars, so either of us could have won this race today."

Evans: "I could have won the race"

Despite this, frustration prevailed. Towards the end of the race, Evans had more energy in his battery than his two team-mates in first and second place. "I understand why the decision was made, but it's extremely frustrating in the car. As far as team orders are concerned, it has often been tricky for us in the past. I have nothing against Antonio at all, but I just worked very hard in the race to gain a huge energy advantage and I feel like I could have won the race."

Thanks to the double victory, the two Jaguar drivers are now 3rd and 4th in the drivers' standings. In the teams' and manufacturers' standings, Jaguar was able to close the gap to Porsche thanks to the 43 points and is now in 2nd place in each.