NIGHT FEVER: JAGUAR RACING READY FOR SEASON SEVEN OF FORMULA E UNDER THE LIGHTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

22 February 2021

  • Jaguar Racing return to electric street racing in its fifth season in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
  • Jaguar’s all-new racecar, the Jaguar I-TYPE 5, will be piloted by the exciting driver pairing – Jaguar’s multiple race winner Mitch Evans and nine-time Formula E race winner Sam Bird who joins the British team this season
  • One of the strongest pairing on the Formula E grid - Evans and Bird - are focused on securing more points, podiums and wins for the British racing team
  • The first round is a double header of night races in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
  • The lights turn green for season seven in Diriyah on the 26 February 2021 at 20:00 AET with the second race taking place just 24 hours later

British race team, Jaguar Racing, have their focus firmly on the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with the season opener only four days away. Season seven of the electric street racing series will start with two-night races in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. The first on 26 February 2021 at 20:00 (AST) and the second just 24 hours later.

With one of the strongest pairings on the Formula E grid, Sam Bird and Mitch Evans will drive in the new racecar, the Jaguar I-TYPE 5. This is New Zealander Evans’ fifth season with Jaguar Racing while Britian’s Sam Bird, who has won races in every Formula E season, is new to the British team this season. Both drivers have previous form on the Saudi Arabian street track - Evans secured points last year and Bird was victorious in the 2019 season opener in Diriyah.

Since the last race in August 2020, development of the season seven racecar, the Jaguar I-TYPE 5, has centred around an all-new in-house powertrain, suspension and state-of-the-art invertor which features 24 carat gold.

 JAGUAR RACING UNVEIL JAGUAR I-TYPE 5 RACE CAR AHEAD OF NEW FORMULA E CAMPAIGN
JAGUAR RACING UNVEIL JAGUAR I-TYPE 5 RACE CAR AHEAD OF NEW FORMULA E CAMPAIGN
 JAGUAR RACING UNVEIL JAGUAR I-TYPE 5 RACE CAR AHEAD OF NEW FORMULA E CAMPAIGN
JAGUAR RACING UNVEIL JAGUAR I-TYPE 5 RACE CAR AHEAD OF NEW FORMULA E CAMPAIGN
 JAGUAR RACING - VALENCIA TESTING
JAGUAR RACING - VALENCIA TESTING

There is huge motivation and excitement to get our fifth season underway and it is particularly special as the first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. We are starting the season with a focus and determination to achieve points, podiums and wins and with our new driver pairing our potential is better than ever. We have spent months developing the Jaguar I-TYPE 5 and we are now looking forward to take to the track in Diriyah for the double-header season opener and first ever Formula E night races. We have enjoyed the racing and learned a lot from our past races in Diriyah and look forward to a great start to this World Championship season.

James Barclay
Team Director Jaguar Racing

Formula E is a familiar racing environment to me but having recently joined Jaguar, I am very motivated to get the best on track results possible and to start season seven with positive momentum. I’ve spent a lot of time with my engineers over the last few months and it’s been great to get in the Jaguar I-TYPE 5 for some pre-season testing. With a new team comes a refreshed vigour to perform on track – I am excited to take on the double-header in Diriyah and push for my first points with Jaguar Racing. I’ve won there not so long ago so can’t wait to get going.

Sam Bird
Jaguar Racing driver, #10

Over the last five seasons we’ve really grown as a team, achieving multiple podiums with our most recent win being Mexico City in 2020. With these memories comes a gritty determination to continue to build on that success in season seven. I’m really looking forward to starting the season in Diriyah - having set the fastest lap in the first race there last time out, before I sadly missed out on a podium spot in the second race, I’m hungry for success and as a team we’re determined to start season seven in the strongest possible position.

Mitch Evans
Jaguar Racing driver, #20

Lights go green in four days on the season seven opener. The doubler header sees the first race commence on Friday 26 February 2021 at 20:00 local time (AST) and the second on Saturday 27 February 2021 at 20:00 local time (AST).

Further information

For further information about Jaguar Racing, please contact:

Adrian Atkinson, Global PR and Communications Manager, Jaguar Racing

Tel: +44 (0) 7979 554005

Email: aatkins5@jaguarlandrover.com

 

Emily Hogg, Global Brand and Partnerships Officer, Jaguar Racing

Tel: + 44 (0) 7384 532 605

Email: ehogg2@jaguarlandrover.com


 

Notes to Editors

ABOUT 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 with its Race To Innovate mission in the future of electrification.

As an official manufacturer team in Formula E, 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.

The 2020/21 Formula E season is the first as the all-electric series has been granted full world championship status by the FIA – the sport’s governing body. It will be the third year for the teams to be racing with the futuristic Gen2 race cars.

Teams have two race cars, 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 Santiago, Diriyah, Rome, Paris, Monaco, New York and ending in a double-header race weekend in London.  

Mitch Evans finished season six seventh in the Drivers' Championship and Jaguar Racing finished seventh in the Teams' Standings with a win in Mexico City, a podium in Santiago and one pole position. He is joined for season seven by British driver Sam Bird, who has won a race in every season of Formula E.

In season seven the championship is official recognised as a world championship by the governing body the FIA. It will be known as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

 

Race to Innovate

Formula E remains a key priority for Jaguar Land Rover and the company’s Destination Zero journey. As the only all-electric world championship, Formula E allows us to test and develop new electric vehicle technologies in a high-performance environment. It continues to be the test-bed for our Race to Innovate mission that will see Race to Road and Road to Race learnings that will help shape our electric future – a future that Jaguar is passionate about, and dedicated to for the benefit of our society, the changing landscape of mobility, sustainability and our customers