Panasonic Jaguar Racing earned its first championship points in style after a thrilling race where Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll finished in P4 and P8 respectively, in only the fourth FIA Formula E race for the British team.
The Jaguar duo scored 16 points and leaped one position in the Team Standings to ninth place.
The Jaguar I-TYPEs started alongside each other in P10 and P11 on the grid, and quickly got to grips with the warm and dusty circuit in the heart of Mexico City.
Both drivers stayed cool amidst the chaos around them to consistently battle within the top ten points-scoring places.
Mitch and Adam efficiently managed their race strategy, pit stops and energy, with Evans surviving heavy contact from a spinning competitor in the closing stages, to record a double points finish and the best result to date in the team’s debut season and learning year.
The newest team to join the all-electric Championship, Panasonic Jaguar Racing has worked hard between races, improving with each event by refining both the set-up of the cars and the team’s operations to the unique demands of a Formula E race day.
James Barclay, Team Director, Panasonic Jaguar Racing: “A great result for the team. We had a solid strategy today and kept our cool by managing our energy and racing hard. We’ve made another step forward since Buenos Aires and have learned more valuable lessons. Both Adam and Mitch raced really well and showed pace when they needed to. To get ourselves to this position after only four races is a good sign of what is to come but we are very realistic on what we need to build on. It is a huge boost for everyone in the team and has put a skip in everyone’s step. For a new team it gives you energy and it is a bit of payback for the long hours and effort that everyone has put in. Monaco is going to be a really interesting race with both Mitch and Adam having raced in the principality before and we can’t wait to get to the European leg of the championship.”
Mitch Evans, #20: “Today was a crazy race from lap one. I managed to overtake Esteban Gutierrez on the straight and lined up behind Adam. After the first safety car we got into a nice rhythm and I ran on really good energy levels and a strong pace. Adam and I were on slightly different strategies, which opened up the opportunity for me to overtake him. The race got quite juicy towards the end with both Mahindra cars and Nico Prost crashing into each other, I don’t know how my I-TYPE didn’t sustain any damage. I was very lucky. To finish with double points today is huge for the team. We came so close in Buenos Aires and everyone has worked incredibly hard since then, so it’s a massive reward for everyone at Panasonic Jaguar Racing.”
Adam Carroll, #47: “For our fourth race ever, it’s a really positive day and reward for some long days. It’s a complete team effort and a fantastic day for Panasonic Jaguar Racing. Hopefully this is the start of more to come but we are also keeping our feet on the ground and we still have a lot to learn in this championship. The reality is this championship is very competitive, so to just score points, especially for a new team is a big achievement. So for both of us to score points today is absolutely brilliant.
Round five of the FIA Formula E Championship will take place in Monaco on May 13, 2017.
About Jaguar
Jaguar is a premier manufacturer of luxury sedans, sports cars and SUVs offering unparalleled design with tremendous performance. The company’s vision throughout its storied 80 year history has been simple: To produce beautiful, fast cars that are desired the world over. Jaguar strives to provide a world class ownership experience to every owner. Today’s Jaguar lineup consists of the Jaguar XE and XF sports sedans, the XJ full-size luxury sedan, the two-seat F-TYPE sports car and the brand’s first-ever performance SUV, the F-PACE. Jaguar designs, engineers and manufactures exclusively in the United Kingdom, at the Castle Bromwich and Solihull manufacturing plants in the British Midlands. Jaguar is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs. For more information, visit the official Jaguar website at www.jaguarusa.com.
About Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel- drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques.
The company employs almost 38,000 people globally, with 330 in the U.S. and supports around 275,000 more through our dealerships, suppliers and local businesses. Manufacturing is centered in the UK, with additional plants in China, Brazil, India and Slovakia.
At Jaguar Land Rover we are driven by a desire to create class-leading products that deliver great customer experiences. The largest investor in R&D in the UK manufacturing sector, we have invested £12 billion(USD$15.7 billion) in the last five years and in the current year alone will spend over £3 billion (USD$3.9 billion) on new product creation and capital expenditure. Last year Jaguar Land Rover sold 487,065 vehicles in 160 countries, with more than 80 percent of our vehicles produced in the UK being sold abroad.