- Jaguar Racing have secured their first double podium finish in 30 years with Sam Bird finishing second and Mitch Evans finishing third at the Rome E‑Prix
- The Kiwi, Mitch Evans, also secured the fastest lap of the race with his Jaguar I‑TYPE 5 with a 1:42.387
- Sam Bird is leading the ABB FIA Formula E Drivers’ World Championship by nine points with teammate Mitch Evans in fourth
- Jaguar Racing extends their lead in the ABB FIA Formula E Teams’ World Championship by 34 points over reigning champions DS Techeetah
- The lights turn green for the fourth round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship tomorrow 10 April 2021 back on the streets of the Eternal City
Sam Bird carved his way through the pack from tenth and finished the race in second ‑ his second podium for Jaguar in three races. The action‑packed race, which started under the Safety Car, saw Sam overtake Sebastian Buemi as the green flag was waved ‑ showing fantastic pace in the Jaguar I‑TYPE 5. A number of clean overtakes and clever uses of ATTACK MODE allowed the Brit to move up to second before the race concluded under the Safety Car.
Mitch Evans also executed an incredible drive through the field, gaining nine places from twelfth to third and securing his second podium of the season. Evans tussled with Vandoorne and Frijns but made some decisive moves throughout the race.The Kiwi pushed through to take the final place on the podium while proving the speed of the Jaguar with the fastest lap of the race.
JAGUAR SECURES FIRST FORMULA E DOUBLE PODIUM IN ROME
Sam Bird is leading the ABB FIA Formula E Drivers’ World Championship by nine points with teammate, Mitch Evans, closely following in fourth.
Jaguar Racing extends its lead in the ABB FIA Formula E Teams’ World Championship by 34 points. It was Jaguar’s first double podium in 30 years since the 1991 World Sports Car Championship round at Autopolis, Japan where the XJR‑14 finished in second and third positions.
A brilliant result for the team today! Our first double podium in 30 years and our first fastest lap this season. Rome has been kind to us as a city. Ultimately a great result came from two fantastic drives from both Sam and Mitch. The Jaguar I‑TYPE 5 was performing really well and the strategy was absolutely on point. A real testament to all the hard work that everyone’s put in to achieve this historic result for us as a team, but also to build on the opening weekend we had in Diriyah. We have no doubts about how close it’s going to be this season but performances like that are going to be really important for the rest of the championship.
James Barclay
Team Director, Jaguar Racing
What a great start to the year it has been – to have four podiums, in three races, combined for Jaguar Racing is honestly a great achievement. The whole team should be so proud. It’s the full team who are making us strong on track so congratulations to everyone involved. But it doesn’t stop there, we have a great car in the Jaguar I‑TYPE 5 and another race tomorrow so it’s an opportunity to try and do it all again.
Sam Bird
Jaguar Racing driver, #10:
It’s such a great moment for the team with our first double podium in Formula E. It was a great race, in very difficult conditions, where things can go wrong really quickly but I’m happy to reward the team with this result after all the hard work they put in. Sam did a great job too, we both moved forward in the pack together and executed a brilliant race. It was a great moment and milestone for the team and we look forward to tomorrow.
Mitch Evans
Jaguar Racing driver, #20:
The lights turn green for the fourth round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on tomorrow, 11 April 2021, at 13:00 CET.
Further information
For further information about Jaguar Racing, please contact:
Adrian Atkinson, Global PR and Communications Manager, Jaguar Racing
Tel: +44 (0) 7979 554005
Email: aatkins5@jaguarlandrover.com
Emily Hogg, Global Brand and Partnerships Officer, Jaguar Racing
Tel: + 44 (0) 7384 532 605
Email: ehogg2@jaguarlandrover.com
Notes to Editors
ABOUT JAGUAR RACING
Jaguar returned to racing in October 2016, becoming the first premium manufacturer to join the all‑electric ABB FIA Formula E Championship street racing series. In 2019 the team won the Rome E‑Prix – Jaguar’s first international motorsport victory since 1991.
Formula E is a real‑world test bed for Jaguar with its Race To Innovate mission in the future of electrification.
As an official manufacturer team in Formula E, Jaguar Racing designs its own powertrain, which includes the motor, transmission, inverter and rear suspension.
To control costs the carbon fibre chassis and battery are common components and the same for all twelve teams. This allows the focus to be on developing electric vehicle powertrains which are efficient and lightweight which will improve the performance and range of future Jaguar Land Rover electric vehicles.
The 2020/21 Formula E season is the first as the all‑electric series has been granted full world championship status by the FIA – the sport’s governing body. It will be the third year for the teams to be racing with the futuristic Gen2 race cars.
Teams have two race cars, one per driver, which will be used for the full race distance.
Beyond its all‑electric concept, Formula E is unique in the world of motorsport for its choice of venues. The championship takes place on temporary street circuits in the centre of the world’s major cities including Santiago, Diriyah, Rome, Paris, Monaco, New York and ending in a double‑header race weekend in London.
Mitch Evans finished season six seventh in the Drivers' Championship and Jaguar Racing finished seventh in the Teams' Standings with a win in Mexico City, a podium in Santiago and one pole position. He is joined for season seven by British driver Sam Bird, who has won a race in every season of Formula E.
In season seven the championship is official recognised as a world championship by the governing body the FIA. It will be known as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Race to Innovate
Formula E remains a key priority for Jaguar Land Rover and the company’s Reimagine journey. As the only all‑electric world championship, Formula E allows us to test and develop new electric vehicle technologies in a high‑performance environment. It continues to be the test‑bed for our Race to Innovate mission that will see Race to Road and Road to Race learnings that will help shape our electric future – a future that Jaguar is passionate about, and dedicated to for the benefit of our society, the changing landscape of mobility, sustainability and our customers.