Jaguar’s James Barclay: “A 1-2 finish is something none of us will ever forget”

Jaguar TCS Racing created history last weekend at the Berlin E-Prix double-header, after the British team claimed their first 1-2 in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and their first in motorsport since 1991.

It was a weekend that the team will never forget, with Mitch Evans having won the first race of the weekend at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit, to claim a second consecutive win. Sam Bird finished second to claim a second consecutive rostrum, and his fourth of the 2022/23 season. Both drivers timed their overtakes to perfection, with nobody having wanted to lead in Berlin due to how much energy leading the race used.

By working together, they got to the front in the closing laps and stayed there, to not only claim a huge haul of points but to also claim a result the team “will ever forget”.

“What a race! Our first 1-2 in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship,” said Jaguar Team Principal James Barclay after Saturday’s 1-2. “With Sam on the front row and Mitch back in P9 we knew the race would be all about a clever strategy. We needed to keep calm, work together and progress and that’s exactly what we achieved. Everyone put in a fantastic performance and these results don’t come without incredible effort from the whole team.

“It was a very challenging race with the amount of overtakes so it was about making the right decisions at the right time, avoiding any issues and having a car that could achieve the result that we did today. I am so proud of all of the team, our first ever 1-2, some big points towards our championship campaign and we hope to score more solid points tomorrow. A 1-2 finish is something none of us will ever forget.”

Credit: Simon Galloway courtesy of FIA Formula E

The second race of the weekend was much more challenging for the Coventry-based team, who at one point in the race looked set for another big points haul. Evans narrowly missed out on the podium after finishing fourth, whilst Bird finished nineteenth due to having to pit for a new front wing after the Briton was hit.

Whilst Bird’s result was unfortunate and bitterly disappointing for the team, Saturday’s 1-2 will likely overshadow Sunday’s result forever, with the team having made a new piece of “history” for themselves. Following their successful weekend in Berlin, Jaguar are still third in the Constructors’ Championship but are now just thirty points behind TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, rather than the sixty-one points they were trailing the Germans by ahead of Berlin.

“We had another strong race here in Berlin today,” Barclay said on Sunday. “After making history yesterday with our first 1-2 since 1991, this was a race that ultimately could have gone our way, in the end we narrowly missed out on the podium. Mitch drove a fantastic and composed race to secure fourth place and score really strong points for the team. The race was about track position at the right time, and it didn’t quite work out today in terms of the podium.

“Sam was very unlucky to be hit from the rear, which propelled him into the car in front and damaged his wing. It’s hugely frustrating when someone else’s mistake hinders the result and what was potentially a double points finish. In summary though it’s been a very good weekend for the team here in Berlin. We have been fast and efficient on all race tracks this season and this bodes well for the rest of the season. We will now work very hard to repeat the speed and efficiency in Monaco.”