MITCH EVANS LEADS DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER DOMINANT MEXICO CITY E-PRIX WIN FOR PANASONIC JAGUAR RACING

16 February 2020

  • Mitch Evans wins round five of the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Mexico City, Mexico
  • The New Zealander’s second Formula E victory sees him take the lead in the Formula E drivers’ championship
  • Teammate James Calado was disqualified post-race after a technical energy infringement
  • Panasonic Jaguar Racing now sits second in the ABB FIA Formula E teams’ championship
  • The British racing team head to round six in Marrakesh on 29 February 2020

Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver, Mitch Evans, won the 2020 CBMM Niobium Mexico City E-Prix in one of the most dominant performances in Formula E. Crossing the line over four seconds ahead of second place António Félix da Costa, Mitch Evans controlled the race from the first corner of the first lap.

After topping his qualifying group session and achieving P2 in Super Pole, Evans took the lead from André Lotterer [TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E driver] after a battle on the first corner of the Mexico City E-Prix and delivered an outstanding drive to take the win.

Scoring 26 points for the British racing team, Evans now leads the drivers’ championship by one point and the team sits second in the team’s championship.

The weekend was bitter-sweet after teammate James Calado crossed the line in P9 before being disqualified due to a technical energy infringement.

Panasonic Jaguar Racing - Mexico City E-Prix 2020 - Mitch Evans

This result is a huge testament to the team and their hard work since our issues in Santiago – what a brilliant weekend for the team. It is great to show the pace the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 has, not just over one lap, but a whole race. After a close overtake with André Lotterer on the first corner I took the lead and then focussed on keeping my head down and being as efficient as possible. We’ve really shown our pace this weekend and now the plan is to achieve this again across the season.”

Mitch Evans
#20

I have mixed emotions after today’s race. I think we did well to get into the top 10, finishing ninth on track. To then be disqualified is never easy, but we will look to take the positives from the race – I climbed 10 places and got the most out of the I-TYPE 4. I now need to work hard on my qualifying ahead of the next race to understand what I need to improve and how to pull everything together for the all-important qualifying lap. It’s a great moment for the team as Mitch achieves his second Formula E victory.

James Calado
#51
Panasonic Jaguar Racing - Mexico City E-Prix 2020 - Mitch Evans

What a race - a great day for the team and everyone at Jaguar! Mitch and the team delivered a flawless performance today and a convincing win. On the other side of the garage, James delivered a great race finishing P9 but we were unfortunate to have the disqualification post-race after a minor technical infringement. It’s a brilliant moment for the team and all the hard work has paid off today, we will relish this one before getting back to work preparing for Marrakesh and aiming to keep up this positive momentum.

James Barclay
Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director

Panasonic Jaguar Racing now heads to Marrakesh on 29 February 2020 for round six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

Mexico City E-Prix Panasonic Jaguar Racing Race Highlights

Further information

For further information about Panasonic Jaguar Racing, please contact:

Imogen Shaw, Media Officer, Panasonic Jaguar Racing

Tel: +44 (0) 7825 024 591

Email: imogen.shaw@jaguarracing.com

 

Adrian Atkinson, Global PR Manager, Jaguar Racing

Tel: +44 (0) 7979 554005

Email: aatkins5@jaguarlandrover.com

Notes to Editors

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. In 2019 the team won the Rome E-Prix – Jaguar’s first international motorsport victory since 1991.

Formula E is a real world test bed for Jaguar to make fearless progress in the future of electrification.

As an official manufacturer team in Formula E, Panasonic Jaguar Racing designs its own powertrain, which includes the motor, transmission, inverter and rear suspension. To control costs the carbon fibre chassis and battery are common components and the same for all twelve teams. This allows the focus to be on developing electric vehicle powertrains which are efficient and lightweight which will improve the performance and range of future Jaguar Land Rover electric vehicles.

This is the second year teams will be racing with the futuristic Generation 2 racecars. Teams have two racecars, one per driver, which will be used for the full race distance.

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 Diriyah, Hong Kong, Sanya, Rome, Paris, New York and ending in a double-header race weekend in London.