The two Jaguar I‑TYPEs lined up on the grid for the Hydro‑Québec Montréal ePrix in P6 and P7 respectively – the best qualifying result for the British team in their debut season. At the start, Mitch relished the challenge and gained two positions into turn one. Adam faced pressure off the line but fought hard to hold P7 during the opening laps.
In an action‑packed race, which could potentially decide the final championship result, all 20 drivers were battling for every inch of Montréal tarmac. A crash on lap 16 brought out a full course yellow, forcing every team to choose whether to gamble on pitting for an early car swap.
The British team split the race strategies for the Jaguar duo and immediately called Mitch into the pits, while Adam raced on for an additional lap. The Kiwi rejoined the action in P5. The full course yellow period ended just as Adam pitted, meaning that he rejoined the track out of position in P15.
An intense second half of the race saw a number of incidents between the championship protagonists, bringing out a safety car on lap 25 and bunching up the pack once again. Adam raced on to bring the Jaguar I‑TYPE home in P16, providing valuable data for tomorrow’s longer ePrix.
Mitch fought hard in the closing stages of the race to secure more points for the newest team to join the championship. The New Zealand racer took the chequered flag in P7, adding six points to his debut season in Formula E.
Mitch Evans on track
The Jaguar I‑TYPE on track
All‑electric street racing
James Barclay, Team Director, Panasonic Jaguar Racing: “We had a strong qualifying performance today with Mitch and Adam earning their best ever qualifying result. Mitch gained two positions right out of the gate and both drivers raced hard right until the full course yellow on lap 16.”
“As a team, we decided to split the strategy when the full course yellow came into effect and this gave us a great advantage to pit Mitch early. We were not so fortunate with Adam, and he lost a number of positions. Overall, we have shown our most competitive performance to date in terms of one lap pace but we couldn’t fully capitalise on our potential today, but we’re looking forward to racing hard again tomorrow.”
Adam Carroll, #47: “It was a mixed day on my side of the garage. This morning, we had our best ever qualifying result and the car felt great. This is such an exciting circuit. Unfortunately, we had a tough race and we were caught out during the full course yellow. We will learn from today and go into the second race tomorrow knowing that we have good pace here in qualifying trim. We will give it our very best to finish on a high tomorrow.”
Mitch Evans, #20: “The team did a great job today giving Adam and I both a car that impressed in qualifying and the opportunity to be fighting for good points. I made a great start into turn one overtaking both Prost and Vergne. With the full course yellow, the team brought me in straight away, which was the right call. We had a long second stint, making it tough to defend our position and meet our aggressive energy targets. I’m happy to score more points for the team and as a racer I am looking forward to doing it all again on this track tomorrow.”
The second round of the Hydro‑Québec Montréal ePrix takes place tomorrow Sunday at 16:00 ET / 21:00 GMT.
Further information
Panasonic Jaguar Racing Social Media Channels:
Twitter: Twitter.com/JaguarRacing
Instagram: Instagram.com/JaguarRacing
Facebook: Facebook.com/JaguarRacing
For further details please contact:
Sara Hernmarck | Race Team PR Manager | Panasonic Jaguar Racing
E: sara.hernmarck@jaguarracing.com | T: +44 (0) 7907 807654
Adrian Atkinson | Global PR Manager | Panasonic Jaguar Racing
E: adrian.atkinson@jaguarracing.com | T: +44 (0) 7979 554005
Notes to Editors
Jaguar returned to racing in October 2016, becoming the first premium manufacturer to join the all‑electric FIA Formula E street racing series
Jaguar’s Formula E programme will create tangible R&D benefits for the electrification of future Jaguar 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 the rear suspension. Common components across all teams include the carbon fibre chassis and battery to control costs. The focus is on developing electric vehicle powertrains.
Beyond its all‑electric concept, Formula E is also unique in the world of motorsport for its choice of venues. With the exception of the Mexico ePrix, every round of the championship takes place on temporary street circuits in the centre of the world’s major cities.
Each race day sees all track action including practice, qualifying and racing, taking place in a single day. The 2016/17 calendar includes 12 races in nine cities, including double‑header races in Berlin, New York and the season finale in Montreal.
