Sources within the Jaguar Formula E team have admitted that they have suffered a series of set backs with their car in testing ahead of the 2016/17 season.
Although the team is working well operationally, they admitted that the car is suffering from problems with overheating and is overweight.
The current minimum weight limit is 888kg, but there are concerns that the Jaguar is sitting above this limit.
An unnamed team member told Motorsport.com, “There were some issues with overheating, and there is some concern about the weight of the car being too much, but it is all at an early stage, and there is much more we can work on.”
“We did a bunch of days last month and then we will get more done in July. Operationally the team is working well and by the Donington test days we will be in decent shape.”
Williams Advanced Engineering, who are working in partnership with Jaguar on their formula E entry, also said that the team were struggling with the weight limit. Their Managing Director Craig Wilson stated “It’s challenging, because so much of the car is ‘controlled’, so you don’t have a lot to work with.”
“But it’s one of the things we can approach well because of our engineering knowledge, so we’re confident. We don’t know if it will be the lightest, the timeframe makes that challenging.“
“We could have been more aggressive in that area, but then you run the risk of reliability problems. But generally speaking we’re confident about being at the right weight.”
Wilson also admitted that the team were starting from a disadvantaged position, having not had as much experience as their rivals in the series so far.
“The Jaguar brand always has expectations attached to it,” Wilson said. “But from the performance side, it is like giving your opponents a three second head start in a 100m race. No matter how good you are, you won’t catch up straight away.
“The rules are too stringent for that; you can’t just invent something that’s massively superior to anyone else. And then you see at some races issues like making the tyres work, that are nothing to do with the powertrain. “
“We have no experience of running this type of car on track, so we have to learn all that.”
