Formula  E has hit its stride ahead of its new 2024/25 season

Jaguar is about to enter its ninth season in Formula E and I honestly can’t recall more anticipation and excitement surrounding a fresh campaign. The reasons for that are many. But primarily the technical package in Formula E now is as exciting as it has ever been. The new Gen3 Evo cars are much quicker than when Jaguar returned to international racing in 2016. There is some really potent acceleration and an efficiency which is unmatched in any other racing.

One of the tasks I was given in 2014/15 was to help identify the right motor sport for Jaguar’s return. What was clear was that in our future plans, the direction that we were going was to produce electric vehicles so Formula E was the ideal category. It was a great way of showcasing to the world that we had the future intent around electric vehicles.

Racing has always been part of Jaguar’s DNA, from the early days of Sir William Lyons setting up Jaguar. Now it’s much more complex but still technically rewarding with tech like silicon carbide, electric motor and inverter technology, and efficiency being key. These philosophies are technically and competitively very cool to see from a brand like Jaguar now.

We’ll be using that technical expertise in the new season, which will bring some added pressure for us because we have the manufacturers’ title to defend. But we are used to pressure: we’ve been on the top step of the podium 16 times in eight seasons, which is a strong record, especially in Formula E where a sporting and technical framework sees the field covered by just tenths of a second. The margins are ultra-fine, which is why from a spectator viewpoint it’s impossible to call a favourite at all now.

The objective is to put ourselves in a position where we can repeatedly win Formula E races, score points, and fight for more championships. When you win your first teams’ world championship title, it then actually gives more drive to keep being in that position and fight for more silverware.

“Friends have joked which of our Kiwis is Bruce and which is Denny”

There has been a key change this year, with the new Gen3 Evo homologation. So, in many ways it can reset the competitive order, because everyone has a chance to catch up. I think we saw a bit of this at last month’s Jarama test. It’s too early to tell where everyone is in terms of a hierarchy but it is clear that it is going to be incredibly close again this year. But of course it was hard to gauge because of the last-minute nature of the track switch, which I have to say was a remarkable feat by Formula E in light of the tragic flooding events in Valencia.

Valencia has become something of a logistical home to Formula E so it was quite emotional for the whole paddock and our thoughts are very much with the people there.

Despite the fact the energy targets were unnaturally high there and the track surface was surprisingly abrasive, it was still a productive few days for our drivers Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy. Continuity is sometimes a luxury in professional motor sport but the fact we have that with our drivers is a central part of our team as we head into the new season.

A few of our media friends have joked about which one of our Kiwis is Bruce and which is Denny! It’s hard to answer that because like those two legends both our drivers are good-quality who have proved consistently that they are winners. Of course, it’s not always easy when you have two really competitive guys like Mitch and Nick in the same team, but we see this as positive, especially when each of them delivers wins and podium finishes to help seal a title, as they did last season.

One of the great nuances in Formula E is the attack mode, where you have more power for a period of the race, which is usually eight minutes. When it was originally introduced in 2018, it was absolutely crucial in positively strategising your race and you really had a performance advantage.

However, what we saw for the first two seasons of Gen3 (2023-24) was that many drivers sometimes struggled to maximise the 350kW of power down effectively as the performance of the tyre we had then was really conservative.

Now we have four-wheel drive, and with a new tyre, we’ve seen a big delta in times from the now active 350kW of the car. It’s going to introduce a fantastic variable, as it used to be, around attack mode and bring even more overtaking to the races this season.

São Paulo has been a happy hunting ground to us over the last two seasons with a win and a second for Mitch there. We fully intend to keep that record of achievement going and make sure we hit the ground running in what I firmly believe will be Formula E’s closest and most intriguing season to date.

We look forward to taking you with us on our journey during the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season.

Formula E in association with