Mitch Evans has admitted that Jaguar TCS Racing require “a little bit of luck and fortune” to go in their direction next year, in order to be victorious come the end of season 10.
There’s no hiding the fact that Jaguar are the favourites to claim the Teams’ Championship in 2024, whilst most expect Evans and new teammate Nick Cassidy to duel for the drivers’ crown. The Coventry-based outfit were the fastest for the majority of season nine but often didn’t have luck on their side, typically through their own doing.
Sam Bird collided with Evans on two occasions last season, costing the team and the Kiwi driver significant points. Had the intra-team collisions in Hyderabad and Jakarta not happened, then Evans would’ve likely been in the title fight until the final race in London.
Whilst this was an unwelcome situation for Jaguar, they’ve certainly got one of the strongest, if not the strongest Gen3 package. This was highlighted in October’s pre-season test in Valencia, where the factory Jaguar side topped every session. Evans was the quickest driver across the test, whilst Cassidy was third.
It’s because of their stunning pace at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, that they are viewed as the side to beat come Mexico City. Evans admits things are “shaping up nicely” but is more than aware that with so much time between testing and the opening round, there is the chance that “things could change”.
“Pre-season testing has been going well, we’ve had a few test days,” Evans told FormulaNerds. “We’ve had Valencia, which we topped all of the sessions. So, things are shaping up nicely, but obviously once we get to Mexico things could change.”
To support their title pursuit in season 10, Jaguar have recently moved into their new state-of-the-art technical facility in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. The side’s remote team will be based in the new technical HQ, where they’ll offer support and assistance to the track-side personnel.
As significant as this is to Jaguar, Evans is confident that other teams will “make a bit of a step” in season 10 compared to season nine. He’s hopeful that the British manufacturer can take their season nine and testing “momentum” into season 10, to get going on the strongest note possible in Mexico City.
“I think other teams will make a bit of a step,” Evans said. “But hopefully we can carry that momentum we had last season into next year.”
With the Formula E field being “so tight” nowadays, momentum is crucial to claiming glory. This is what supported Jake Dennis so well in 2023, as he was comfortably the most consistent driver on the grid.
Alongside being consistent and building momentum from the get-go, some luck is also needed more often than not to claim the Formula E crown. Dennis was on the receiving end of this in Rome R2 in particular, where Evans crashed into Cassidy in the opening stages.
“A little bit of luck” is all that Evans thinks Jaguar require to be victorious in the all-electric series’ 10th campaign, as himself and the team are already “operating on a good level”. Being competitive won’t be a problem for the season nine P3 finisher, it’s being competitive on a regular basis which, though, will help his chances of finally becoming Formula E World Champion.
“I think last year, our qualifying performance was exceptional,” said Evans. “Just the first few races through technical penalties, or getting with Sam [Bird] in Hyderabad, there were a few occasions where it obviously didn’t help things.
“But I think in terms of where we’re at, both the team and myself are operating at a good level. We just need a little bit of luck, I think now.
“But [the competition] is so tight in Formula E,” Evans admitted. “And you do need a little bit of luck and fortune to go your way. But the main thing is, we’re going to be hopefully competitive again. And then hopefully it’s up to us to make sure we can get it done this time.”
