Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal James Barclay was quick to share how “hugely proud” he was of the entire team following Mitch Evans‘ podium on Sunday at the Jakarta E-Prix, a day after the team suffered a complete nightmare.
The eleventh round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be remembered much more fondly by Jaguar than the tenth round on Saturday, where Sam Bird went into the back of Evans for the second time this season. The team scored zero points on Saturday and knew a big result was needed on Sunday, in regard to both championships.
Evans was a man on a mission on Sunday and qualified third, whilst Bird could only manage fourteenth. The Briton failed to even start the race following a technical issue, summarising his woeful weekend. Evans though, knew he had to convert his second row start into a mega result, to keep his title hopes alive. That’s exactly what he did, as he converted third on the grid into the final spot on the rostrum, raising him to fourth in the Drivers’ Championship.
Jaguar are also just about still in the fight for the Constructors’ Championship, with them now being forty-one points behind TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team with five races remaining. Whilst the Coventry-based side are narrowly hanging on to the fight, another slip up can’t occur.
Barclay praised Evans for his “huge result” and thanked the team for their “massive effort”, following Saturday’s nightmare.
“After a challenging weekend, third place and a podium is a huge result, and testament to the massive effort the team have put in. We worked tirelessly to improve the car set-up and tyre management over the weekend, and Mitch delivered an exceptional performance both in qualifying and the race. It’s moments like this that define your Championship, I’m hugely proud of the team and Mitch for this turnaround.
“An unfortunate outcome for Sam today, we will look into the technical issue that ruled him out of the race. Our focus also now shifts to the inaugural Portland E-Prix, and we look forward to bringing this incredible all-electric race series to American fans.”