NEW YORK CITY E-PRIX PODIUM FOR MITCH EVANS KEEPS TITLE CHANCES ALIVE

14 July 2019

Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver, Mitch Evans, claimed his third podium of the season, finishing second in Saturday’s New York City E-Prix – the penultimate ABB FIA Formula E race in the 2018/19 season – keeping the Kiwi driver’s title hopes alive.

  • Round twelve of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship in New York
  • Mitch Evans climbed eleven places to finish P2 and keep his title chances alive
  • Alex Lynn retired from second place with a technical problem
  • Panasonic Jaguar Racing prepare for the final race of the season, Sunday 14 July in Brooklyn, New York City

Team mate Alex Lynn made a good start – overtaking Pascal Wehrlein on the first lap to move up to P2 – but was forced to retire his Jaguar I-TYPE 3 after suffering a technical problem. 

Evans’ stellar performance moves him just three points behind second place in the driver standings and twenty-five points behind championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne who did not score any points in Saturday’s race.

Alex had a strong qualifying, advancing to Super Pole, achieving quickest sector time to start from P3. Evans lined up on the grid in P13 after a challenging qualifying from group one on the dusty Red Hook track.

The Panasonic Jaguar Racing team now prepare for round thirteen, the season finale, which takes place in New York on Sunday 14 July.

Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday

It was a race of mixed emotions for Panasonic Jaguar Racing. Alex had a fantastic start – managing to overtake Pascal before turn one – and he was set for his first podium for the team. We were upset to see him retire from P2 and to end his race early. He didn’t deserve that today and we have to investigate why.

Mitch showed again why he has been one of the standout drivers in Formula E this season. He did a good job under difficult track conditions for the drivers in group one. He had his work cut out with a grid position of P13. In the race, he put in an incredible performance to finish just behind Sebastien Buemi in second. Arguably one of the best drives of the season. We are already looking ahead to tomorrow and giving everything we can in the final race of the season. We want to give Mitch and Alex the best possible opportunity to finish the season in style.

James Barclay
Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director

To get up to the podium from P13 was unexpected but a fantastic result for everyone in the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team. Since we made some changes in Rome, the car has been rapid, so it’s great to capitalise on that pace. I honestly think that Alex deserved to be up on the podium with me today. He had a tough failure – we’re not exactly sure what happened – but it was good to see him up there battling at the front. Tomorrow is all about qualifying – to make Super Pole from group one is virtually impossible, but we’ll be giving everything for the final race. While there is still a chance I will keep fighting until the chequered flag.

Mitch Evans
Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver

I qualified third, made it through into Super Pole quite comfortably and had a good start moving up to second, then with twenty minutes to go we had a failure on the car. We haven’t yet quite diagnosed exactly what it was. It is really frustrating as I think I could have won my first E-Prix today. Fortunately I have another race tomorrow and I will be aiming for a strong finish to the season.

Alex Lynn
Panasonic Jaguar Racing Driver
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday
Season 5, New York E-Prix, Saturday

Further information

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For further details please contact:
 
Victoria Monk  |  Media Officer |  Panasonic Jaguar Racing
E: victoria.monk@jaguarracing.com  | T: +44 (0) 7392 106 923

Adrian Atkinson  |  Global PR Manager |  Panasonic Jaguar Racing
E: aatkins5@jaguarlandrover.com  | T: +44 (0) 7979 554 005

Notes to Editors

EDITORS’ NOTES
ABOUT PANASONIC JAGUAR RACING

Jaguar returned to racing in October 2016, becoming the first premium manufacturer to join the all-electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship street racing series.

Jaguar’s Formula E programme will create tangible R&D benefits for the electrification of future Jaguar and Land Rover road cars and is designed around the team’s founding principle, ‘Race to Innovate’. 

Manufacturers can design their own powertrain, which includes the motor, transmission, inverter and rear suspension. Common components across all teams to control costs include the carbon fibre chassis and battery. The focus is on developing electric vehicle powertrains.

ABB Formula E unveiled earlier this year the Generation 2 racecars. Teams will now have one racecar per driver, and no longer be required to make the mandatory car swap.

Beyond its all-electric concept, Formula E is unique in the world of motorsport for its choice of venues. The championship takes place on temporary street circuits in the centre of the world’s major cities including Riyadh, Hong Kong, Sanya, Monaco, Rome, Paris and ending in a double-header weekend in New York.