Mitch Evans on Monaco, momentum, and moving on: 'I just want to keep that rolling'

Sitting second in the Formula E Championship, Mitch Evans arrives at the Monaco E-Prix with momentum, clarity of purpose, and a renewed sense of self after one of the most difficult seasons of his career. The New Zealand driver spoke exclusively to Motorsport Week about his mindset heading into a weekend he considers his own — and what it will take to sustain a title challenge through the second half of Season 12.

A Home Race Like No Other

"I always feel good coming here," he said. "I love the track, I love the event, it's my favourite one of the year. So that always brings positive, good vibes."

"We were quickest last year in FP3, so try to use those little wins to carry that into this year as well. But it's going to be super tight."

He acknowledged that last year's Monaco round was an outlier in an otherwise strong record at the circuit. "Last year was a tough, tough weekend, but I think it's my first tough weekend here ever. So yeah, that's always going to happen at some point."

The double-header format in Monaco raises the stakes further — for all the details on the schedule and how to watch, see our full Monaco E-Prix guide.

The Reset That Changed Everything

Season 11 was, by Evans' own admission, a year he was glad to see the back of. A combination of reliability issues, incidents, and simply a loss of rhythm left the Kiwi frustrated and searching for answers that never quite came.

"Strangely, nothing's really changed. I just had a year last year during which I couldn't do anything right. And it happens in sport. I had loads of reliability problems, I had weird accidents, sometimes just very slow. It was weird, but I was quite keen to see the end of last year and have a big reset."

The reset appears to have worked. Since the opening rounds of Season 12, Evans has been one of the standout performers in the championship, combining his natural pace with the clean execution that has historically defined his best form.

"Luckily, it's turned things around this year, and we're back to my normal ways. But yeah, that always plays in the back of your mind that things can turn quite quickly."

He is careful not to allow the form of recent weeks to breed complacency, treating each weekend as its own self-contained challenge. "At the moment, things are in a good place, and I just want to try and keep that rolling and try not to let last year affect me too much or create any doubt."

"We have to keep on top of things because we are quick and we are doing well, but the margins are so fine. If you don't turn up on the day, you can be quite easily out the back door."

Confidence Is the Currency at Monaco

Monaco demands a specific kind of trust — in the car, in the data, and above all in oneself. The circuit punishes hesitation and rewards commitment, which makes the early laps of each session disproportionately important.

"You need a lot of confidence here, especially with it being a traditional proper street track. So hopefully we start well in FP, I'm feeling good, and then ideally start to lose time and then race some more. Off the back of a few good weekends, that always helps."

With practice sessions limited in laps around the Principality, Evans knows there is no room for a cautious build-up. Drivers must be on the limit from the first flying lap, which places an enormous premium on car set-up and an immediate mental commitment to the walls.

"You can't just ease into it. So you need good confidence from the first few laps, you need the car in the right window. Because around street tracks, your confidence builds. You start risking a bit more in the braking zones, playing with the walls."

The two-race format at Monaco also forces Evans to balance aggression against the risk of a single costly mistake eliminating a weekend's worth of points. "At some point you're going to have to just commit, go all in," he said, "but if you do it too early, it can penalise you a lot if you make a mistake and have a crash or something."

"Around here, yeah, you have to balance that risk and reward a bit more than other tracks. But every time I'm quick here, it's because I'm very confident, and you need that."

A Championship Tightened by Everyone's Excellence

Second in the standings, Evans is well aware that the title battle in Season 12 is unlike anything the championship has produced in recent memory. Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein — who has spoken openly about Porsche's preparation for Monaco — heads into the double-header just three points clear, with the rest of the field bunched tightly behind.

For Evans, the paradox of the season so far is that a strong run of results — victories, podiums, consistent points — has still not been enough to break clear of the pack.

"It's weird to have such a good run of points and form and podiums and stuff and not be leading. A few years ago, that would have been a different story. But everyone's operating really well, and everyone seems to be doing a great job. It's still very tight, but everyone's had great results. I think that's just going to continue."

He is measured about the road ahead, acknowledging that the margin for error is shrinking as the season enters its decisive phase.

"The pressure's on to keep performing, and getting podiums and wins here is so hard. But you're going to have to keep it up if you want to give yourself a chance at the end of the season."

The End of an Era with Jaguar

Beyond the championship chase lies a significant personal inflection point. In April, Evans confirmed he will leave Jaguar TCS Racing at the end of Season 12 — bringing to a close a partnership spanning ten years and representing the entirety of his Formula E career to date.

The split was always coming, he acknowledges, but that does not make the transition any easier to contemplate.

"It was going to come at some point, so that time is now. It's been a great 10 years. Obviously, I'm looking towards the future, but at the moment, my focus is firmly on this season."

His ambition is clear: to win a driver's championship with Jaguar before the chapter closes. "I'm still a Jaguar driver, so I'd love to try and see my chapter with him end with a driver's championship. That would be fantastic. We're going to try our best to make that happen."

And yet, he is honest about the emotional weight of what lies beyond London — the final round of the season — and the new challenges that await in the Gen4 era.

"Obviously, it will become very weird at the end of London. Once the season finishes and the new challenges that I'll be facing. On the one hand, I'm excited for that. On the other hand, it's business as usual."

"I'm trying not to think about it too much. I've got a great opportunity this year, so I don't want to let things — me leaving and all that — try to derail that or distract it."

For now, Monaco is everything. A mistake-free double-header at his adopted home track could prove decisive in a championship that, by Evans' own reading, will be decided by the smallest of margins. The confidence is there. The momentum is there. The only thing left is to deliver.