Jaguar TCS Racing opens Gen3 era of Formula E with points in Mexico City
The opening round of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship saw Jaguar TCS Racing score points in Mexico City after two interrupted Free Practice sessions which hindered preparations. In front of a sold-out crowd, Jaguar’s lightest, fastest, most efficient electric race car ever debuted the new Gen3 era of Formula E in the Mexican capital.
Mitch Evans lined up tenth on the grid after narrowly missing out on the Qualifying Duels by five hundredths of a second. The safety car-filled race made it challenging for the Kiwi to find overtaking opportunities. When racing resumed in the new lap-based format, Evans made progress, climbing his way through the field in his Jaguar I-TYPE 6. A number of safety cars resulted in five laps being added to the 36-lap race. A late ATTACK MODE activation in the final lap allowed Mitch to secure an eighth-place finish at the famous Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit.
Teammate, Sam Bird lined up twenty-first on the grid after he had a compromising qualifying session following an issue in Free Practice 2. The Brit’s bad luck continued when an outbound drive shaft failure on the fifth lap of the race forced him to retire from the first race of the new season.
Both customer Envision Racing Jaguars finished inside the top ten to make it three podiums in total for the I-TYPE 6’s race debut.
Jaguar TCS Racing sits sixth in the teams’ standings after the first round of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
James Barclay, Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal: “It’s been a mixed race for us here in Mexico City with some positives but also some areas we need to address. The Jaguar I-TYPE 6 has demonstrated it has strong performance both in one lap, race pace and efficiency. This was evident with three Jaguar powered cars in the top ten points scoring positions. We experienced have some issues which we will work hard to address ahead of the next race in Saudi Arabia to keep making progress.”
Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #9: “I was hoping for a little more today as my Jaguar I-TYPE 6 had great efficiency which is really promising. I lacked a little balance which meant I couldn’t do as much with the energy advantage as I would have liked. I made some positions and scored some points today and we needed that as a team. We’ll come back stronger over the next few races.”
Sam Bird, Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #10: “It’s a big shame for everybody here at Jaguar TCS Racing because they have put in so much hard work and this weekend hasn’t gone to plan. I know that we’ve got a good package with our Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and we just need to make sure as a team that we minimise mistakes and iron out the issues that held us back here in Mexico. We will be able to bounce back and be ready to race again in Diriyah.”
Jaguar TCS Racing will compete in the second and third round of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on 27 and 28 January. The fifth round is scheduled to take place in Cape Town on 25 February.
