JAGUAR CONFIRMS FORMULA E LINE-UP
Adam Carroll will lead Jaguar’s lineup for its debut Formula E season, with GP2 race winner Mitch Evans also confirmed at the British team.
Jaguar revealed former A1 GP champion Carroll and GP2 race winner Evans as its drivers for the 2016/17 campaign, plus Ho-pin Tung as reserve, at its official team launch at its heritage facility last week.
Carroll has been competing with the Gulf Racing Porsche squad in the World Endurance Championship this season alongside a partial British GT campaign in two different cars.
The 2008/’09 A1 Grand Prix champion, who has raced GTS since 2012, told Motorsport News he was “incredibly proud and happy” to join Jaguar and to “be going back to my roots”.
“It’s a full works team, which is something I’ve personally been after for a long, long time,” he added. “It’s going to be mega.”
Jaguar will make its debut in FE running its own powertrain, but because it only had its entry confirmed in December there were limitations over its choice of motor, gearbox and inverter. Carroll said the team needed to be aware of the tough “reality” of fighting teams that have two years of experience in the series and one season of running their own powertrains already.
“Of course we have expectations,” he said. “We’re here to win when we can but we have a lot of work to do.
“The teams have a two-year head start. We have to perform and get there, but we know it’s competitive and a high level in every aspect.”
Evans defeated Britons Alex Lynn and Harry Tincknell to land the second seat in a shootout at the first test, despite not previously driving a FE car, or the Donington circuit.
“I just had to go on instinct,” he said. “It was an evaluation so the pressure is on and you have to perform. It’s great to get it purely on merit.” ● Formula E will air on Channel 5 in 2017, with the broadcaster taking over from ITV4. The broadcaster has expanded its motorsport coverage with World Rally Championship highlights in 2016. The Formule E races will be shown live, with its sister station Spike covering qualifying.