JAGUAR TCS RACING SAMBA TO VICTORY AND A PODIUM CLEAN SWEEP FOR JAGUAR IN SÃO PAULO’S SAMBADROME

25 March 2023

Mitch Evans powered to his first victory of the season at the inaugural São Paulo E-Prix.  The Kiwi was joined on the podium in third by teammate Sam Bird after dominating on the fast Sambadrome track. The double podium has catapulted Jaguar TCS Racing into third in the teams’ standings in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

  • Mitch Evans and Sam Bird secured victory and a sensational double podium result in inaugural São Paulo E-Prix
  • A prowl of Jaguar-powered cars dominated the podium with Envision’s Nick Cassidy completing the Top 3
  • Sam Bird secured the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap to showcase the pace of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6
  • Victory in front of 23,000 Brazilian fans filled the Sambadrome with electrifying atmosphere
  • Jaguar leap to third in the teams’ standings with a 41-point haul

In front of 23,000 passionate fans, Jaguar TCS Racing have had an almighty comeback in Brazil after a frustrating start to Season 9. Both Jaguar drivers demonstrated skill and speed in the Jaguar I-TYPE 6, combined with a perfectly executed team strategy.

Kiwi Mitch Evans lined up third on the grid after a strong qualifying performance. Mitch made a positive start, holding his position and later overtaking Porsche’s Da Costa on Lap 7 taking him to second place. Despite dropping back to P4 during the nail-biting 35-lap race, Mitch maintained a strong energy strategy and seized his moment to take the lead.

Brit Sam delivered one of his best drives of the season, climbing an incredible seven positions after starting in tenth position. He had a favourable energy strategy which allowed him to make his way up the order to battle with Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy at the chequered flag. Sam rounded off the podium and also took home the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap accolade, providing him with an additional point.

Jaguar-powered Envision took the runners-up spot following a last lap fight with Mitch. Kiwi Nick Cassidy took a worthy second place, making Formula E history for Jaguar.

The dominant result puts Sam Bird sixth in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship drivers’ standings, while Mitch has climbed to ninth.

Sao Paulo E-Prix
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São Paulo E-Prix
São Paulo E-Prix
São Paulo E-Prix
São Paulo E-Prix

What an incredible day! A historic first with three Jaguars dominating the podium. Today’s result and the team’s performance after a few challenging weekends was all the more sweet. With a strong car and a proven team, we knew it was about executing a clean weekend with a great strategy and that’s what we did today. Mitch and Sam drove exceptionally, showing patience in a strategic race and raw speed when it was needed. I would like to thank our technical partner WAE who have worked tirelessly for this result and to our amazing commercial partners. We wanted to put on a great show for the Brazilian fans and we delivered just that, it’s a special day and one which we will enjoy celebrating.

James Barclay
Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal

This win has come at the perfect time, because we’ve had a tough start and the Jaguar has been quick. To finally get a victory is incredible - Nick pushed me all the way. This is all down to the hard work of the team, there’s a lot of graft that goes in, so much work into the strategy, to try and put it together is not easy so I’m super happy to get some big points on the board.

Mitch Evans
Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #9

Amazing for Jaguar TCS Racing to get the podium locked out. Massive hats off to the team here and back at base, it’s a brilliant result. I got fastest lap too, it’s good points for the team and now we can look forward to Berlin.

Sam Bird
Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #10

Jaguar TCS Racing will compete in the seventh and eighth rounds of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Berlin, Germany on 22 and 23 April.

Further information

Emily Hogg, Senior Media Officer, Jaguar TCS Racing

Tel: +44 (0) 7384 532 605

Email: ehogg2@jaguarlandrover.com

 

Adrian Atkinson, Head of Motorsport PR & Communications, Jaguar TCS Racing

Tel: +44 (0) 7387 237 406

Email: aatkin14@jaguarlandrover.com

Notes to Editors

ABOUT JAGUAR TCS RACING

Jaguar returned to racing in October 2016, becoming the first luxury manufacturer to join the all-electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship street racing series. In season eight, Mitch Evans finished as runner-up in the drivers’ standings – his most successful result in Jaguar TCS Racing’s Formula E campaign.

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’s 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.

2023 is the first year for the teams to be racing with the Gen3 car, the world’s first net zero race car.

As an official manufacturer team in Formula E, Jaguar TCS Racing designs its own powertrain, which includes the motor, transmission, inverter, and rear suspension. Jaguar, via its long-term Formula E technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering, will supply Envision Racing with its powertrain for the Gen3 era.

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 efficient and lightweight electric vehicle powertrains which will improve the performance and range of future Jaguar Land Rover electric vehicles.

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 2023 championship takes place on temporary street circuits in the centre of the world’s major cities including Mexico City, Diriyah and Rome, with new locations including Hyderabad, Cape Town, and São Paulo. The season finale plays out across a double-header race weekend in London.

In 2022, Jaguar TCS Racing finished fourth in the teams' standings with seven podiums, four wins, one pole position, one fastest lap and 231 points scored – the team’s biggest points haul to date. New Zealander, Mitch Evans finished last season as runner-up with Sam Bird finishing thirteenth overall in the drivers’ standings.

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

Through our Race to Inspire mission, Jaguar TCS Racing are committed to inspiring the future generation by using the race programme to create a positive impact on our planet and the communities in which we race. From competing in the world’s first net carbon race car to supporting and training the next generation of engineers and motorsport professionals.

For more information, visit www.jaguar.com

About Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

TCS is an IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization that has been digitally transforming many of the world's largest businesses for over 50 years. A long-standing strategic technology partner of Jaguar Land Rover, TCS is committed to leveraging innovative digital technology to help the race team accelerate their electrification journey, win races, and create a more sustainable future. TCS believes that global sports sponsorships with purpose can spark change and positively impact our communities. A part of the Tata Group, TCS has more than 616,000 consultants in 55 countries.