The Jaguar driver completed first on the street in Saturday’s 27-lap contest on the Portland Worldwide Raceway, however was demoted to eighth within the closing classification after being handed the penalty in the course of the race.
Regardless of struggling entrance wing injury, having been behind within the incident, Evans was capable of cross the road first earlier than blasting the stewards for what he deemed was a racing incident.
“It’s a shame, to be trustworthy,” Evans advised Autosport on the choice. “The penalty is simply utterly out of order.
“Look, I really feel like if I misjudged it, or if it was me altering lane and inflicting the puncture, then honest sufficient, that’s on me. I simply assume it was a extremely unlucky set of circumstances.
“I haven’t spoken to Jake, I don’t know if he knew I used to be there or not, however I feel he was very targeted forward to maintain the automobile within the tow, that automobile [ahead] was transferring round just a little bit.
“Additionally, I used to be making an attempt to take care of a kerb on the suitable kink and I ran as a lot as I might [over it] with out bottoming out.
Jake Hughes, NEOM McLaren System E Crew, e-4ORCE 04, leads Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6, Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche System E Crew, Porsche 99X Electrical Gen3, and the remainder of the sphere
Photograph by: Andrew Ferraro
“And the stewards say I ought to have lifted off. I’m sorry, however I’m not the one altering lane.”
Those self same factors for victory would put Evans simply two factors behind Cassidy within the standings as a substitute of 27, and he says he’s 100% backing the choice to name for a proper to overview with Jaguar contemplating its choices.
Crew principal James Barclay advised Autosport: “Was it malicious? Completely not.
“Does it deserve a penalty? Once more, the attitude of the stewards we have now to respect in the end.
“However there’s a course of which is a overview course of and for us that’s what we’ll take into account whether or not we do.
“The attitude I’m getting from everybody we communicate to, not simply ourselves, is that penalty didn’t match the crime – you would even argue there’s no crime.”