Jaguar were the team to beat in Formula E in 2023/24 as they claimed their first teams’ championship title.
Drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy won two races each and scored 14 podiums altogether as the Jaguar duo finished second and third respectively, with Evans missing out on the title to Pascal Wehrlein by just six points.
The British manufacturer’s success in Formula E was not immediate, as they finished bottom of the championship in their first season in 2016/17 with 27 points.
It has been a steady progression from backmarkers to title winners, but the team’s managing director James Barclay has revealed what caught them out on their rise to the top.
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James Barclay says Jaguar were caught out by the COVID-19 season in 2019/20
Jaguar joined Formula E 12 years after their torrid spell in Formula 1 came to an end, with the team failing to finish higher than seventh in the constructors’ championship after five seasons.
With no ‘sister’ projects to aid them and not being able to bring in experienced names to the team, Jaguar struggled at the back and the midfield for the first few years, with Evans claiming their first win in their third season in 2019 in Rome.
Following the recruitment of ‘technical oracle’ Craig Wilson to the team, Jaguar saw a resurgence and after round five of the 2019/20 season, Evans was leading the championship after one win in Mexico.
However, that season would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and when racing returned, the scheduled calendar was changed to six consecutive races in Berlin; a track Jaguar had struggled at.
Ultimately, Evans and the team finished the season seventh in both championships. Speaking with The Race, Barclay believes this is what caught Jaguar out in their progression up the grid.
“We were caught out because of that and we’d really focused on a certain direction,” he said.
“As each car has gone on, we’ve learned from these lessons. We’ve had a philosophy that says we have to have a car that can work everywhere.
“It does mean compromising in some places, but you try and find the best middle ground you can. That’s what we’ve really focused on.
“The Jaguar I-Type 6 [its Gen3 car] has found that balance well.”
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Jaguar have retained their drivers for the 2024/25 season
After the COVID-19 season, Jaguar’s rise has been clear to see, with the team regularly competing for both championships, eventually winning the teams’ titles last season.
A huge part of their success is down to the drivers piloting their machine, with Cassidy and Evans scoring consistent podiums and a few wins to finish second and third in 2023/24.
Proving to be one of, if not the strongest driver line-up in Formula E last year, Jaguar has decided to keep their current duo for Season 11; the first season of the Gen3 Evo era.
Evans, who has been with the team since they joined the sport in 2016, was given a multi-year deal in 2023 and Cassidy is also on a long-term deal after joining from Envision.