Jaguar has announced it is to return to global motorsport. In the autumn of 2016, the English brand will enter the third season of the FIA’s Formula E Championship as a manufacturer with its own team.
Jaguar’s presence in motorsport has largely focused on endurance, with five Le Mans victories to its name. The brand has also experienced success in touring car racing, as well as an unsuccessful foray in to Formula 1 too.
According to the company, the decision to enter the Formula E championship was made on the basis that the series ‘offers a unique opportunity for Jaguar Land Rover to further the development of future EV powertrain including motor and battery technology’.
“I am proud to announce Jaguar’s return to racing with an entry into the innovative FIA Formula E championship.” explained Nick Rogers, group engineering director for Jaguar Land Rover. “Electric vehicles will absolutely play a role in Jaguar Land Rover’s future product portfolio and Formula E will give us a unique opportunity to further our development of electrification technologies. The Championship will enable us to engineer and test our advanced technologies under extreme performance conditions.
“It is my belief that over the next five years we will see more changes in the automotive world than in the last three decades. The future is about being more connected and more sustainable; electrification and lightweight technologies are becoming more important than ever as urbanisation continues to increase. Formula E has recognised and reacted to these trends and the championship’s exciting and pioneering approach is the perfect fit for our brand.”
Williams Advanced Engineering will be Technical Partner to the Jaguar Formula E Team and provide extensive motorsport knowledge, combined with high performance EV Systems experience and success. Jaguar Land Rover has a long term relationship with Williams, who partnered with Jaguar on the development of the Jaguar C-X75 plug-in hybrid concept car.
“We are delighted to welcome Jaguar into Formula E,” added Alejandro Agag, chief executive officer for Formula E. “Jaguar is a brand with a rich sporting heritage and the fact that it is returning to global motorsport with Formula E is a huge endorsement of the championship and its ability to influence the development of electric cars. Jaguar brings with it a passionate fan base that will drive the popularity of the championship across the world and once again shows that Formula E is the future of motorsport.”
More details on Jaguar’s return to racing including team presentation, drivers and partners will be released in the run up to season three.
