Kiwi Formula-E driver Mitch Evans has been denied a first-place finish in agonising fashion at the Monaco E-Prix overnight on Sunday (NZ time).
After some deft maneuvering to claim the lead, a late safety car stalled Evan's momentum, and the Kiwi was forced to try and negotiate the final few laps with less energy than his competitors.
That set the scene for Antonio Felix da Costa to take advantage of the Kiwis' energy woes, bolting down the home stretch to deny Evans victory.
Dutchman Robin Frijn also snuck through on the final pass, pushing Evan back to third place at 2.8s behind Da Costa.
Evans admitted he became overzealous with his energy use, ruing his missed opportunity to top the podium.
"I'm pretty gutted," Evans said post-race.
"Right now it hurts but when you look back, I got myself into that position because I burned energy under attack [mode].
"I had track position so I thought 'okay let's try and ride it out to the end' but Antonio was too strong and was also good at sort of dummying me, and I had to consume more to try and keep him behind. So, I was really on the backfoot.
"It hurts because Monaco is Monaco, everyone wants to win here. Third is great but you want to get that first win around here.
"I've got multiple podiums in other categories but not a win and we came half a lap short unfortunately today."
Disappointment aside, the podium finish moves Evans up to third in the overall drivers standings.
The championship will move to Mexico for round eight and nine at the Puebla E-Prix, starting June 19.
