Jaguar choreography earns Monaco Formula E 1-2

Jaguar pulled off a team choreography masterclass to take a Monaco Formula E 1-2, with Mitch Evans ahead of its current main title hope Nick Cassidy.

The pair had started from the second row but moved to the front via early attack mode deployments by front row duo Pascal Wehrlein and Stoffel Vandoorne.

Once in position to control the race, Cassidy and Evans alternated in holding the pack back so they could clear their own attack modes without losing their 1-2 formation.

That allowed them to serenely manage a race that got extremely messy and destructive in the pack behind, and featured two safety car periods - a long one for a heavy Edoardo Mortara crash at the Swimming Pool entry and a shorter late one when Nico Mueller ended up stranded at Rascasse following contact with Jake Hughes.

With Jaguar policy dictating that whoever is in front at 80% distance doesn't get challenged by their team-mate, Evans duly claimed his and the works Jaguar team's first Monaco FE win by 0.9 seconds over Cassidy (the 2023 Monaco winner when at Jaguar's customer team Envision).

"I think I get the team-mate of the year award," declared Cassidy over team radio at the finish, having earlier fully bought into the plan and readily accepted that he'd be second in the 1-2.

DS Penske's teamwork was a little more fraught at times in the Jaguars' wake as Vandoorne ultimately denied team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne and Porsche driver Wehrlein the final podium spot.

Oliver Rowland hacked through from 15th to sixth for Nissan, while Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa recovered from dropping right to the back when caught behind Sebastien Buemi in a multi-car tangle at Loews to finish seventh.

Reigning champion and erstwhile joint championship leader Jake Dennis was the last car running, in 20th, having pitted for a new front wing after an incident with Robin Frijns.

McLaren's 19-year-old reserve driver Taylor Barnard became FE's youngest-ever race-starter when abruptly called up due to Sam Bird breaking his hand in a practice-one crash. Barnard was slowest in qualifying but drove a very respectable race to 14th.

Bird will get further treatment once back in the UK. The next FE event - a Berlin Tempelhof double-header - is only a fortnight away.