For the first time since Panasonic Jaguar Racing made their debut in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in October 2016, the British manufacturer will head to China for the first time as part of the all-electric racing series. Round six of the 2018-19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship takes place in Sanya on the Hainan Island for the first Chinese race in the series since the 2015 Beijing ePrix.
After a solid start to Season Five, Jaguar will be looking to build upon, if not improve, their run of points finishes next weekend for the 2019 Sanya ePrix. The British team head to China seventh place in the points standings after scoring points in each race so far this season, but they know that in terms of raw one-lap pace, they need to improve.
Therefore heading to Sanya, James Barclay, Team Director of Panasonic Jaguar Racing said:
“Qualifying is the key component of our race weekend that we are looking to improve on. We know the Jaguar I-TYPE 3 has competitive race pace. We need to start further up the grid to maximise our potential.
“If we can do this both drivers stand a chance of delivering the results that we know we are capable of. Sanya will host its first Formula E race and the circuit looks set to be a fast one, which will suit the team, so we are all excited to get back on the track and put the lessons learnt from the previous races into practice. We can rely on fantastic support from the Chinese fans and the Jaguar China family.”
Leading Jaguar’s charge this season has been New Zealander Mitch Evans, who comes off the back of a seventh-place finish in Hong Kong despite starting from seventeenth on the grid in another incident-packed event. Heading to the inaugural race in Sanya, Evans said:
“I am looking forward to my first visit to Sanya and Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s first race in mainland China. We managed to salvage some good points in Hong Kong and I enjoyed racing through the field and climbing up ten places.
“The Sanya track will be a new challenge for all the teams and drivers in Formula E. With my engineers we will be focused on unlocking our qualifying potential which will put us in a good place on the grid to challenge for a strong result.”
Things have not gone so well for 2014-15 Formula E Champion Nelson Piquet Jr, who has only scored one point for Jaguar this season courtesy of a tenth-placed finish at the 2018 Ad Diriyah ePrix. But he will be determined to prove himself in the first race at Sanya, so heading to the event said:
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t leave Hong Kong frustrated. As a racing driver, all I want to do is get behind the wheel and drive flat out. This just gives me even more motivation to make amends in Sanya.
“It will be the first time Formula E has a race on Hainan Island and I’m looking forward to seeing the new track. This provides a great opportunity to start afresh and put in a good performance.”
