Jaguar’s heavy investment in race-to-road technology is a strategy that appears to be paying off, following a double win for its Formula E race team this weekend. On Saturday, New Zealand’s Mitch Evans finished first and teammate, Britain’s Sam Bird second in a historic 1-2 finish in Berlin.
No one is new to Berlin’s grippy concrete track – in fact the former Tempelhof Airport, which these days is more used to walkers, cyclists and kite-flyers on its apron and runway. Likewise, both Bird and Evans have been with Formula E since the early days and Berlin has been a regular on-and-off stop on the calendar for the entire history of the electric racing series.
The 43-lap race turned out to be the most interesting of the series so far. There was the usual duality that comes with this close-contact formula, a few shunts and consequent losses, and plenty of great driving.
It was also the perfect showcase to illustrate how much the Gen3 Formula E cars are developing, especially since the early days when the Gen1 cars only had an electric motor and much less technology to help drivers make it to the end of the race. Today’s Formula E cars are also faster, with top speeds in excess of 200mph, 60mph faster than the Gen1 cars. But, despite the additional technology, they are also lightweight.
Currently, all eleven of the race team use the same carbon fiber chassis and battery, while power regeneration now comes from both front and rear axles. Hankook supplied the racing tires, replacing Michelin for the latest season, so there’s a lot of common ground. Jaguar’s I-Type 6 Gen3 car is of course more powerful with 476hp and uses a second motor up front to boost revs – up to 600kw in fact, with 250kw from the front powertrain and 350kw from the rear. What remains consistently the same though is the level of strategy and tactics that allow drivers to gain an edge over their rivals.
A big part of the reason for Jaguar’s return to racing at the end of 2016 is real-world testing. Since then, the company has been using developments from Formula E as part of its push towards becoming an all-electric luxury car. Carmaker since 2025. For now, there’s the 2024 Jaguar i-Pace, which has been around since 2018 and recently received some cosmetic changes.
However, it will be the brand’s new four-door electric GT car due to arrive in the next few years that will see Jaguar’s evolution set in motion. Built on the dedicated Jaguar Electrified Architecture, or JEA, the new GT will arrive in 2025 and will be part of a three-pronged, all-electric rollout that uses the same platform, with two more crossover models appearing in 2026 and 2027. The Jaguar GT is expected to cost in the region of £100,000 and will boast a tempting range of up to 430 miles.
Other beefier details surrounding the car have yet to emerge, but it’s easy to imagine some of the ideas and innovations used in the Gen3 track cars filtering down to production models, including the ever-improving Regen feature commonly found in modern EVs.
Saturday’s win in Berlin moved the Jaguar TCS Racing team into third place in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The pair did not fare much better for Sunday’s eighth round, with Evans finishing fourth and Bird nineteenth respectively as the latter required a quick front wing switch. However, Jaguar’s racing duo finished fifth and seventh in the driver’s standings as the team progressed to the next round in Monaco.
Related: The best electric cars reviewed and rated