Off the back of its highest points haul in Formula E to-date, Jaguar TCS Racing is looking to go further still in Season 9 and Gen3 with its I-TYPE 6 - the storied motor racing marque's most advanced and efficient race car ever. The team has opted for consistency in-car, as a result of its strong end to the Gen2 era, to keep a hold of its drivers and is the only outfit on the grid to field an unchanged line-up of Evans and Bird in 2022/23.
Titles are the aim for the forthcoming campaign, says Team Principal James Barclay, as is the continued use of the world's leading electric race series to feed back into the development of Jaguar Land Rover's road-going, consumer EVs.
“Launch day is always a proud and exciting moment for Jaguar TCS Racing, and this year more than ever, as we head into the Gen3 era of Formula E," says Barclay. “Season 9 is set to be the most competitive and thrilling season to date, with an all-new all-electric race car, the Jaguar I-TYPE 6, iconic cities added to the calendar and our new team design has transformed the car into a work of art, in harmony with our modern luxury vision for Jaguar.
“As we head into our seventh season in Formula E, I have been reflecting on how far we have come as a team. Jaguar TCS Racing has a vital role to fulfil beyond the success of the racetrack, and it remains a privilege to play our part supporting the reimagination of Jaguar as an all-electric brand from 2025.
“I am incredibly proud of what we achieved last season, we had our biggest points haul to date, but we know we can do better, and we are here to compete for the World Championship. We are confident in the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and in the strength of our talented team and I look forward to what this season will bring.”
Jaguar is also doubling down its presence on the grid, with the supply of its powertrain technology to fellow British-based team Envision Racing, meaning there will be four Jaguar-powered cars in the field - a move that should see double the data gathered - key for rapid development work; especially important at the start of a new era.
Evans: 'We want to go one better'
Mitch Evans closed out his best season to-date in the series with a valiant shot at the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title, though for the second consecutive campaign he fell agonisingly short as runner-up in the Season 8 finale in Seoul. Up against the ruthless consistency of Stoffel Vandoorne and his dominant Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02, the Kiwi took the title fight to the bitter end, closing out his Gen2 Formula E career with 'no regrets.' This season, he wants more and both the Kiwi and the team are working "tirelessly" to deliver just that.
READ MORE: 'No regrets for runner-up Evans'
“Last season was my best to date, finishing runner-up in the Drivers’ World Championship, so we are determined to do one better this season," says Evans. “The new Jaguar I-TYPE 6 gives us a lot more to play with, with more power and speed, and the team and I have been working tirelessly to make sure we maximise this effectively to use it to our advantage. Formula E is such a competitive category, but I can’t wait for the season to get underway in January and fight to win both the Drivers’ and Teams’ World Championship.”
Season 8 was Bird's lowest score in Formula E - a career that dates back to the very first 2014/15 campaign, with an injury sustained on home soil in London summing his luck up.
“Last season was full of ups and downs for me, and I couldn’t finish the season due to injury," says the 35-year-old. "I’ve taken the off-season to reset, come back stronger and I’m hungrier than ever to do well for the team. We’ve been focusing all our efforts into the Jaguar I-TYPE 6, and I’m really looking forward to getting back out there for my third season with the team and showing everyone what we can do.”
Race to road
The next generation of Formula E will continue to be a real-world test bed for Jaguar TCS Racing and Jaguar Land Rover, as the team develops and innovates new technology to compete for World Championship success, it will power important race-to-road learning for electric powertrain, sustainability and software technologies.
Jaguar says innovation and technology transfer from the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 will directly enable the reimagination of Jaguar as an all-electric, modern luxury brand from 2025. Racing in a zero-emission motorsport category with the world’s most sustainable race car showcases Jaguar Land Rover’s own commitment to have zero tailpipe emissions and to achieve carbon net zero across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039 as part of its Reimagine strategy.
The team head into Season 9 having secured FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation - the highest industry standard for sustainable practice, demonstrating its commitment in environmental management, while it strives to improve its existing processes.
New partners
The team welcomes Wolfspeed as Official Power Semiconductor Partner. The partnership builds on Wolfspeed’s existing relationship with Jaguar TCS Racing since 2017, where its advanced Silicon Carbide technology has been used to accelerate on-track efficiency and performance. It comes as Jaguar Land Rover also recently announced a strategic partnership with Wolfspeed, securing supply of Silicon Carbide semiconductors for the next generation of electric vehicle inverters. Both partnerships will support the technology and knowledge transfer from race-to-road with a particular focus on efficiency.
After two successful years with the team, Micro Focus is renewing its partnership as Official Technical Partner. Its world-class software and services, such as IDOL and Vertica Analytics Platform, are embedded into the team’s operations, enabling them to collect and process vast amounts of data, creating more accurate predictions and time-critical decisions during races, which leads to more points, podiums and wins for the team.
Wolfspeed and Micro Focus join an existing portfolio of world-class partners made up of global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which continues its multi-year title sponsorship of the team. In addition, GKN Automotive, Dow, and Castrol, and suppliers Alpinestars and Uncommon are connected in the pursuit of performance and innovation for Jaguar TCS Racing.
“We’re very excited to welcome Wolfspeed to the team as our Official Power Semiconductor Partner. Their expertise in Silicon Carbide technology will play a pivotal role in our powertrain performance," says Barclay. "With our Title Partner, Tata Consultancy Services, alongside new and existing organisations, we have a formidable portfolio of partners, each supporting the team and applying their expertise to accelerate relevant sustainable technologies.
Jay Cameron, Wolfspeed Senior Vice President and General Manager, Power Business said: “Wolfspeed is proud to strengthen our relationship with Jaguar Land Rover by serving as the Official Power Semiconductor Partner for Jaguar TCS Racing. Our Silicon Carbide semiconductor technology in the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 creates an ‘Innovation Lab on Wheels’ to engineer improved powertrain efficiency in a high-performance electric vehicle.
“Our collaboration with Jaguar TCS Racing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will support our shared goal of translating innovation from the race to the road and enable Wolfspeed to support Jaguar TCS Racing as the ultimate competitor on the track.”