VICTORY FOR JAGUAR RACING IN DIRIYAH

Jaguar Racing returned to the podium this weekend, at both of the opening races of season seven of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Jaguar Racing leaves Saudi Arabia leading the Formula E Teams World Championship by seven points.

PODIUM FINISH FOR MITCH EVANS & JAGUAR RACING UNDER THE LIGHTS AT THE DIRIYAH E-PRIX

In the opening round, new Zealander Mitch Evans put Jaguar back on the podium of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in the Jaguar I-TYPE 5, finishing third and securing 15 points on the streets of Diriyah.

The Kiwi had a great start to the race, moving from sixth to fifth off the line. He moved into fourth position after Eduardo Mortara took ATTACK MODE and managed to hold onto the position by overtaking Pascal Werhlein. With two minutes to go before the end of the race, Evans made a decisive overtake on Rene Rast to secure a solid third place and 15 points for the British team.

Team director, James Barclay said: "Fantastic to start the year with a podium for all the team at Jaguar Racing - a great podium for Mitch in third. He drove a really strong race today and the team delivered a fantastic strategy to get him onto the podium".

Evans said: "Overall it was a great result for the team, I’m very proud and we really deserve a result like this".

Watch the highlights from the first round here

BIRD SOARS IN SAUDI WITH DEBUT VICTORY FOR JAGUAR

In his first victory for Jaguar, Sam Bird won the second Diriyah night race, retaining his streak as the only driver to have won a race in every Formula E season. 

Sam Bird started the race on the second row of the grid but made a decisive move and progressed into second at the first corner, overtaking Sette Camara. Bird battled his old teammate Robin Frijns for the majority of the race, attacking and defending and showing the pace of the Jaguar I-TYPE 5. After multiple incidents, Sam followed the safety car for the last six minutes of the race before taking the victory under a red flag.

James Barclay, Team Director, said "An absolutely fantastic way to start the season – two podiums in two races, a third place and a win is a really brilliant start for Jaguar in this most incredibly competitive world championship. It’s a real testament to the hard work and the expertise of the team that have worked together on all aspects of performance including the new Jaguar I-TYPE 5. It’s great to be leaving Saudi Arabia leading the championship and we’ll be working hard to continue this positive momentum into Rome".

Sam Bird said "I’m so incredibly happy right now. Jaguar have opened their doors with open arms, let me into their family and taught me new things. We’ve worked really hard together during the pre-season and although there were some challenges, we’ve worked for this result. This is for everyone – not only for the people in Riyadh, but for the team back at the factory and everyone at Jaguar who has tirelessly worked on this project. We walk away from this weekend in a strong position and I look forward to racing on the city streets of Rome".

Watch the highlights from the second round here

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