Dateline Riyadh - November 22nd 2019:
Panasonic Jaguar Racing started season six with a points-scoring race after New Zealand driver, Mitch Evans, secured P10 as the chequered flag fell at the Diriyah E-Prix. Evans made up six positions and achieved the fastest lap of the E-Prix at the inaugural season six race with a time of 1.13.947 seconds. Evans’ fastest lap won another valuable point for the team and demonstrates the Jaguar I-TYPE 4’s race pace.
Rookie James Calado travelled up the pack from the back of the grid after a tough qualifying session, finishing his debut ABB FIA Formula E by bringing his car home in P16.
"It was good to get the season underway and be back out on track with some points. We had a difficult qualifying where we couldn’t maximize our potential. We made good progress in the race to score points and secure fastest lap with Mitch which shows we have good race pace. I’m encouraged that we had one of the quickest cars out there today, which demonstrates the value of our hard work in the off-season on the Jaguar I-TYPE 4’s development. Our clear objective is to make more out of qualifying and put both cars in a strong position on the grid to secure good points for the team during the Diriyah E-Prix double-header" said James Barclay; Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director.
Dateline Riyadh - November 23rd 2019:
In his second ABB FIA Formula E race James Calado showed great racecraft to move through the field and secure his maiden Formula E points. The Brit, who qualified P21 eventually finished in P7 and picked up six valuable championship points during a hectic Diriyah E-Prix. In the first lap Calado climbed four places, had to contend with safety cars and frantic restarts but he kept his cool and with post-race penalties applied he finished P7. This is the second race this weekend Panasonic Jaguar Racing has scored points, proving the British racing team’s potential.
Mitch Evans was set for a top 5 race result, battling competitively on track before an incident with Sam Bird left him with damage, forcing him to pit and also take a penalty. A P6 performance in qualifying put Mitch through to his first Super Pole session of season six. He was fourth quickest but received a penalty for a technical infringement and started P6. In a race to forget Evans took the chequered flag in P18.
Dateline Santiago - January 18th 2020:
Panasonic Jaguar Racing returned to the podium in Santiago with New Zealander, Mitch Evans securing P3 after qualifying on Pole Position. Teammate James Calado finished P8, to secure double points for the British team in the sweltering heat of the Chilean capital.
Mitch put in a faultless qualifying performance with a clean sweep, topping both group and Super Pole sessions. He secured his first Pole Position of the season and his second in Formula E. The Kiwi driver led the pack off the line but then encountered an issue receiving his energy information. Once the team had successfully recovered the system issue, he had over consumed on energy and also had to manage his battery temperature. This energy deficit meant that Mitch had to run a more conservative pace which allowed Max Günther, on Attack Mode, to overtake as well as António Félix da Costa later on in the race. Despite this early issue the team and Evans recovered well and delivered a race strategy that allowed him to maintain P3, securing a well-deserved podium after a challenging day and conditions that proved difficult for many teams and drivers behind.
In his first race on Santiago soil, British driver, James Calado, took the chequered flag with P8, securing his second points for the team. Following a difficult qualifying which left him P18, Calado again converted the Jaguar I-TYPE 4’s race pace into points and moved up 10 positions during the 45 minute + 1 lap race, scoring four valuable points.
Dateline Mexico City - February 15th 2020:
Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver, Mitch Evans, won the 2020 Mexico City E-Prix in one of the most dominant performances in Formula E. Crossing the line over four seconds ahead of second place António Félix da Costa, Mitch Evans controlled the race from the first corner of the first lap. After topping his qualifying group session and achieving P2 in Super Pole, Evans took the lead from Porsche driver, André Lotterer, after a battle on the first corner of the Mexico City E-Prix and delivered an outstanding drive to take the win.
Scoring 26 points for the British racing team, Evans now leads the drivers’ championship by one point and the team sits second in the team’s championship. The weekend was bitter-sweet after teammate James Calado crossed the line in P9 before being disqualified due to a technical energy infringement.
"This result is a huge testament to the team and their hard work since our issues in Santiago – what a brilliant weekend for the team. It is great to show the pace the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 has, not just over one lap, but a whole race. After a close overtake with André Lotterer on the first corner I took the lead and then focussed on keeping my head down and being as efficient as possible. We’ve really shown our pace this weekend and now the plan is to achieve this again across the season.” said Evans afterwards.
Dateline Marrakesh - February 29th 2020:
Despite starting the race at the back of the grid in P24, Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver Mitch Evans put in a masterclass performance during the ABB FIA Formula E Marrakesh E-Prix overtaking 18 cars to finish P6 and achieve the fastest lap of the race. On leap year day, the 25 year-old took home nine points and celebrated his second fastest lap award this season.
The only race in Africa brought less fortune to the other side of the garage after James Calado scored his best qualifying position of his debut season P10, before a tough second half of the E-Prix saw his Jaguar I-TYPE 4 eventually finish P16. As we reach the mid-way part of the Formula E season, Mitch Evans currently sits second in the drivers’ championship with Panasonic Jaguar Racing third in the teams’ championship.
Dateline Berlin - August 5th 2020:
Formula E resumed racing in August at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin, with six races in nine days to decide the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship winner. The historic German airfield hosted three double-headers in quick succession on August 5/6, 8/9 and 12/13.
Race 6 - August 5th 2020:
Panasonic Jaguar Racing took to the track for the first time in four months today. With only five races completed of the 2019/20 season completed so far, the all-electric series started calmly but later turned into a frantic race to the finish which saw Mitch Evans spin out of the points after a late clash with Maximilian Guenther following contact with Eduardo Mortara.
Starting from P8 Mitch fought to P6 in the middle of the race conserving his energy and carving through the pack. After a late full course yellow, Guenther clipped the Kiwi’s Jaguar I-TYPE 4 and sent him spinning out of the points. Mortara later received a penalty for causing the collision. Evans eventually finished P13 after an action-packed race which saw his title rival Antonio Felix da Costa extend his lead in the championship with a clean sweep of points in Berlin. James Calado had a day to forget after technical issues with his Jaguar I-TYPE 4 cost him valuable track time in both practice sessions.
Race 7 - August 6th 2020:
Round 7 was a challenging one for Panasonic Jaguar Racing at Berlin’s Tempelhof circuit today. Despite climbing up the field from P17, Mitch Evans finished just outside of the points in P12. The Kiwi did take a small positive away from a tough day with his and the team’s first FanBoost helped by support from fans, team partners and Jaguar Land Rover employees. James Calado had another tough day hindered by a P22 qualifying position finishing the day in P20 following a drive through penalty for a technical infringement. The team will now look to regroup and rebuild for Rounds 8 and 9 on Saturday and Sunday with the traditional anti-clockwise layout.
Race 8 - August 8th 2020:
Round 8 of the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E season six finale was full of progress today for Panasonic Jaguar Racing. Mitch Evans climbed an impressive ten places from P19 to P9. Scything through the field with purpose he set the fastest lap of the race and with it a valuable point. The Kiwi is now focused on securing as many points as possible in the remaining three races as we reach the half-way point in the Berlin finale.
After out qualifying his team-mate the race was less fortunate for James Calado who, after making up an impressive 3 places on the opening lap, was an innocent victim of Sette Câmara losing control of his GEOX Dragon whilst trying to defend from Alexander Sims. Câmara made very heavy contact with the Briton, sending him spinning and causing terminal damage to his Jaguar I-TYPE 4 which ended his promising race.
"I made an amazing start - I gained three places in the first lap and it was looking okay, the Jaguar I-TYPE 4 felt on form and points could’ve been on the table. I was minding my own business, saving energy and I got hit out of nowhere really hard just into turn nine. The Dragon and he was about 50 metres behind – looked like he had some issue but it took me off and it was race over." commented Calado post-race.
Race 9 - August 9th 2020:
Round 9 of the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E season six finale saw Antonio Felix da Costa and DS Techeetah crowned drivers’ and teams’ champions after a 1-2 finish. Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans improved on his P9 finish by going two places better to bring his I-TYPE 4 across the line in P7. He lined up on the grid in P10 following an improved qualifying performance. Evans fought his way through the field trading places with René Rast and Felipe Massa. He moves to 6th position in the drivers’ standings only four points behind 3rd and a potential drivers’ podium.
Race 10 - August 12th 2020:
Round 10 saw a promising debut for ‘super-sub’ Tom Blomqvist who made his race debut for Panasonic Jaguar Racing. Team-mate and friend Mitch Evans secured another points finish to keep his bid alive for a valuable runners-up position. Briton Tom, who replaced James Calado for the final two races, impressed with the fifth fastest time in qualifying to secure a place in Super Pole. He lined up P6 on the grid and was in a points scoring position before falling back to P12.
Mitch Evans continued to be disadvantaged by being in Qualifying Group 1 and would eventually line-up P13 on the grid. The Kiwi fought well in the middle of the pack to move up six places and crossed the line P7. He secured six points and moves to P4 in the drivers’ standings just eleven points behind Oliver Rowland who won today’s race.
Race 11 - August 13th 2020:
The 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E season six finale was to prove cruel for Panasonic Jaguar Racing and Mitch Evans. Starting round 11 in P23, due to the disadvantage of being in Qualifying Group 1, Mitch scythed through the field with a trademark drive and gained 12 places to finish P11 just outside of the points places.
The first half of the season was more positive for Panasonic Jaguar Racing and Mitch which saw the team and Evans secure their second Formula E victory with a dominant win in Mexico City and a podium in Santiago. Rookie James Calado, who missed out on the final two races of the season due to a WEC clash, was only able to secure two points scoring finishes in Diriyah and Santiago. Reserve driver Tom Blomqvist made an impressive debut by going through to Super Pole on his debut.
Jaguar Racing will be back on track on 16 January 2021 in Santiago, Chile for the first race of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World championship with Mitch Evans and multiple-race winner Sam Bird behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 5.
"It was a massive race from P23 up the grid to P11. It was a busy one and I’m pretty tired now. I tried my hardest, we tried our best – that’s all you can do. We’ll come back stronger next year and have another crack at it. Thanks everyone for your support this year and see you next season." said Mitch.