OPPORTUNITIES LEFT ON THE TABLE IN CAPE TOWN FOR JAGUAR TCS RACING

1 March 2023

Mitch Evans finished P11 for Jaguar TCS Racing, just outside of the points, in a hectic Cape Town E-Prix. 

  • Mitch Evans finished P11 for Jaguar TCS Racing, just outside of the points, in a hectic Cape Town E-Prix after qualifying on the second row of the grid
  • Sam Bird was unable to compete in the fifth round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship after an accident in Qualifying in Cape Town
  • Both Jaguar powered Envision Racing cars finish in the top 5
  • Jaguar TCS Racing are sixth in the teams’ standings, with Sam Bird eighth and Mitch Evans remaining twelfth in the drivers’ standings
  • The sixth round of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship takes place in São Paulo, Brazil for the first time on Saturday 25 March

The Jaguar TCS Racing team showed the pace of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 throughout all practice sessions. Mitch Evans lined up fourth in the South African capital after making it through to the semi-finals of the qualifying Duels. The Kiwi held his position off the start line, found a solid rhythm in the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and the team had a good energy management strategy. On lap 11 of the 32-lap race, Mitch served a drive-through penalty for overuse of power at the start. Following the penalty, Mitch re-joined the track at the back of the pack and worked hard to close the gap to the rest of the field. On lap 28 Mitch overtook the NIO 333 of Sérgio Sette Câmara to move up to P12. A last-lap accident for Sacha Fenestraz promoted Mitch to P11. 

Sam Bird was unable to compete in the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix following an accident in Qualifying. On his final flying lap, the Brit crashed into the barriers while trying to slow down for an accident to the Maserati MSG of Edoardo Mortara ahead. His Jaguar I-TYPE 6 required a chassis change but there was insufficient time to complete the work before the race.  

Both Jaguar-powered Envision Racing cars finished in the top five. Nick Cassidy showed the speed and efficiency of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 with his second podium in as many races. 

Sam Bird is eighth in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship drivers’ standings, while Mitch Evans remains twelfth. 

Heading into the sixth round of the World Championship, Jaguar TCS Racing are sixth in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship teams’ standings.

CAPE TOWN E-PRIX
CAPE TOWN E-PRIX
CAPE TOWN E-PRIX
CAPE TOWN E-PRIX
CAPE TOWN E-PRIX
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It’s been an incredibly frustrating day again here in Cape Town. The Jaguar I-TYPE 6 has been strong all weekend, Mitch was holding fourth place really well and we were managing our pace for later in the race. We need to evaluate why Mitch had an overuse of power. For Sam’s side of the garage we’re absolutely gutted. He was driving well, the car was quick and his accident could have been avoided. As a championship we need to learn and improve. As a team we have shown in the past that we will give everything to get the cars out of the garage and turn up racing but with that amount of damage it just wasn’t possible today. We have a great team, an incredibly quick race car and we will keep striving towards winning.

James Barclay
Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal

Today was another disappointing blow to my championship campaign. We know we have an incredibly fast Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and I haven’t been able to get the points that I feel the team deserve. We’ll try again in São Paulo.

Mitch Evans
Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #9

Due to factors outside of my control, my weekend in Cape Town has been destroyed and it really hurts. There should have been a timely red flag today and I’m disappointed that there wasn’t. The good news is that the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 is very quick – we’ve seen that in our pace all weekend.

Sam Bird
Jaguar TCS Racing driver, #10

The sixth round of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship takes place in São Paulo, Brazil for the first time on Saturday 25 March. 

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, 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.