This season of the Formula E will be a significant one for Jaguar, as it marks the marquee’s return to racing. At a launch event at the Jaguar Collections Centre, the British car maker revealed its entry to the championship, the I-Type 1. Jaguar has shed the traditional green livery in favour of a dramatic fluorescent blue and black colour scheme. Team drivers include Adam Carroll from Northern Ireland—whose racing career spans stints in GP2, IndyCar and the WEC—and Ho-Pin Tung from China, who participated in the first-ever Formula E. Their youngest driver is 22-year-old New Zealander, Mitch Evans, with a GP3 Championship title and experience of the Le Mans under his belt.
Trial run
Title partner Panasonic will be responsible for all the electronics and automotive tech. The 21-day testing phase of the I-Type was concluded with the demonstration at the Donington Park last week. “The championship will enable us to engineer and test our advanced technologies under extreme performance conditions. We will apply this vital knowledge as part of our real world development,” says Nick Rogers, executive director, product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover Team. Meanwhile, team director James Barclay is more pragmatic, expressing that the challenge will be strong as competitors have a two-year head start, which will cause them to keep their expectations in check in the first season, but they are ultimately here to win and innovate.
2016 Formula E opening race at Hong Kong ePrix. On October 9