MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL

5 August 2022

Jaguar TCS Racing head to Seoul, South Korea, for the season finale of the 2022 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Mitch Evans will be fighting for the drivers’ title while reserve driver, Norman Nato, will drive car #10 for rounds fifteen and sixteen. Norman will replace Sam Bird, who sustained a fracture in his left hand during the first lap of round fourteen in London.

  • Jaguar TCS Racing head to Seoul, South Korea, for the season finale of the 2022 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
  • Mitch Evans arrives at the 2022 Hana Bank Seoul E‑Prix in second place and will be fighting for the drivers’ title
  • Reserve driver, Norman Nato, will drive car #10 in the final two rounds of the season replacing Sam Bird who is unable to compete with a broken hand
  • Lights go green around the Jamsil Stadium Complex in Seoul, South Korea at 16:00 KST on 13 and 14 August 2022

Norman has a wealth of experience in Formula E including winning the Berlin E‑Prix in 2021. He has attended all the races in season eight in his capacity as Jaguar reserve driver and has spent valuable time in the team’s simulator. He will be aiming to deliver strong points for Jaguar TCS Racing next weekend.

Sam will undergo an operation this week to repair a fracture to his left hand which he sustained during the first lap of round fourteen in London. Despite the painful injury and a slow puncture, he climbed an incredible seven places to finish the race in eighth securing valuable points.

For the inaugural 2022 Hana Bank Seoul E‑Prix, the 22 drivers will race around the 2.6km Jamsil Stadium Complex for the first time. The circuit features 22 turns winding through the stadium built for the 1988 Olympic Games. There is potential for mixed‑weather conditions making the set‑up of the Jaguar I‑TYPE 5 essential for success.

MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL
MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL
MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL
MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL
MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL
MITCH EVANS READY FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN - NORMAN NATO TO RACE FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING IN SEASON FINALE IN SEOUL

The final two rounds of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Seoul look set to be a fantastic spectacle and a fitting finale for the Gen2 era of the championship. Mitch is still in the drivers’ title fight and we want to secure the best possible result for ourselves in the teams’ standings. Our clear objective is to go and do the best job possible and apply as much pressure as we can. If we perform at our best then anything can happen, this is Formula E after all.

We are hugely disappointed for Sam and that he won’t be competing next weekend in Seoul. It should have been his 100th Formula E race and his drive in London was nothing short of heroic, to drive through considerable pain and a slow puncture shows how much of a fighter he is. The priority now though is for his operation and focussing on a full recovery ahead of Gen3 testing and racing again in January.

As a team we all have full faith in Norman to deliver valuable points for Jaguar TCS Racing. He won the season finale last year and is determined to help us fight for every place in the teams’ standings.

James Barclay
Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal

After the heartbreak in London, the team and I have been working hard to maximise everything we can ahead of the final two rounds in Seoul. I know how strong the pace is in the Jaguar I‑TYPE 5 and I really believe in this team. In a way, the pressure is on Stoffel and Mercedes but we are not going to make it easy for them. We’ll be giving everything next weekend.

Mitch Evans
Jaguar TCS Racing driver #9

I’m devastated not to be driving in the final two rounds of the season in Seoul, particularly as it would have been my 100th race in Formula E. I need to spend the next few weeks recovering from the operation on my left hand, so I am fully fit for testing and season nine. I have confidence in Norman, he is a race winner and I’m sure he’ll bring some great points home for Jaguar TCS Racing.

Sam Bird
Jaguar TCS Racing

Firstly I want to wish Sam the speediest of recoveries. As a reserve driver, I’ve been with the team every step of the way this season. Although I haven’t driven a Formula E car for over a year, when I get into the Jaguar I‑TYPE 5 next weekend, I’ll be fighting for as many points as possible. I want to make the most of this opportunity.

Norman Nato
Jaguar TCS Racing driver #10

The new Seoul circuit is a track that brings a lot of new aspects. We’ve seen a number of high temperature locations this season and Seoul is most definitely another. It’s very likely that as we head into the final two races of the season battery management will be critical, meaning that both the drivers and engineers have to work on a clever strategy to maximise temperature and efficiency. As it’s the inaugural race in Seoul, we’re expecting the track surface to evolve throughout the weekend and we’ll see lap times getting quicker and quicker. There is also a high chance of rain which can add another level of complexity to qualifying and the race. We’re really looking forward to the season finale and will be fighting to bring home the drivers’ title and finish as high as possible in the teams'.

Phil Charles
Jaguar TCS Racing Technical Manager

Lights go green around the Jamsil Stadium Complex in Seoul, South Korea at 16:00 KST on 13 and 14 August 2022.

Further information

For further information about Jaguar TCS Racing, please contact:

Emily Hogg, Senior Media Officer, Jaguar TCS Racing

Tel: + 44 (0) 7384 532 605

Email: ehogg2@jaguarlandrover.com

 

Adrian Atkinson, Global PR and Communications Manager, Jaguar TCS Racing

Tel: +44 (0) 7979 554005

Email: aatkins5@jaguarlandrover.com

Notes to Editors

ABOUT JAGUAR TCS 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 season seven Jaguar TCS Racing finished runners‑up in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship teams’ standings ‑ the most successful so far in Jaguar TCS Racing’s Formula E history.

Formula E is a real‑world test bed for Jaguar with its journey to becoming an all‑electric luxury brand from 2025. Jaguar TCS Racing will deliver new sustainable technologies and set new benchmarks in quality in support of Jaguar Land Rover’s Reimagine strategy.

Jaguar TCS Racing goal is to ‘Reimagine Racing’ and together the team will test, develop, learn and collaborate, sharing insights across Jaguar Land Rover which will benefit future road car development. Specifically, learnings and technology transfer from Formula E will help ‘Reimagine” the Jaguar brand coinciding with the company’s commitment to the Gen3 era of Formula E.

As an official manufacturer team in Formula E, Jaguar TCS 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 eleven 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 2021/22 Formula E season is the second season of World Championship status as granted by the FIA – the sport’s governing body. It will be the fourth and final 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 of 45 minutes plus 1 lap.

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, Mexico City, Rome, Monaco, New York, London and ending in a double‑header race weekend in Seoul.  

New Zealander, Mitch Evans finished season seven fourth in the drivers' championship and Jaguar TCS Racing finished second in the teams' standings ‑ the most successful so far in Jaguar TCS Racing’s Formula E history ‑ with eight podiums, two wins, one pole position and 177 points scored. After his first season with the team, Briton, Sam Bird finished sixth in the championship with two wins, three podiums and a pole position

Race to Innovate

Formula E remains a key priority for Jaguar Land Rover and the company’s Reimagine strategy. 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.

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