Kiwi Mitch Evans and Panasonic Jaguar Racing are heading to Hong Kong for the start of their second season in the FIA Formula E Championship.
The season opener takes place on 2 - 3 December in Asia’s first ever double-header race weekend and will be the first-time drivers Mitch Evans and Nelson Piquet Jr. line up on the grid together in the new British team.
At the Hong Kong E-Prix drivers will complete 45 laps of the 1.86km street race circuit in the new Jaguar I-TYPE 2 on city’s iconic Harbour front.
This season, Panasonic Jaguar Racing have developed a new powertrain, with more than 200 new parts in the Jaguar I-TYPE 2 to produce a more efficient package using high strength lightweight materials.
Taking in all the learnings and technical advancements from season three, the team believe these will have a positive impact on their performance. For this season, the race power level increases to 180kwh making the cars even faster.
James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing Team Director, said: “We are very excited to kick off our second season in Formula E and it’s great to be back on the grid in such an iconic city.
“As we race to innovate, we have taken a great deal of learnings from our first season and the team have worked extremely hard to make sure that we have the most competitive powertrain possible for the season ahead. Alongside the improvements on the Jaguar I-TYPE 2, we welcome Nelson to our new driver line-up – all of which, we hope, will help us to be regularly competing for points.”
Mitch Evans, who has been confirmed for a second season with Panasonic Jaguar Racing, said: “The competition this season will be stronger than ever, but the work that the team have put in will help push us further up the grid.
“I had a really good first season as a rookie in the championship so I’m very excited for my second season with Panasonic Jaguar Racing. Nelson and I are already working together to grow as a team so bring on Hong Kong.”
As the first premium manufacturer to enter Formula E, Jaguar also recently launched a world-first electric vehicle race series - the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY - which showcases the link between Jaguar’s involvement in Formula E, the development of Jaguar’s road cars and the future of electrification.
From season five, 20 Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racecars will line up on the grid in the world’s first all-electric support race series. The championship will take place on the same day as the FIA Formula E Championship, enhancing the electric race schedule.