Jaguar Racing facts for kids

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Jaguar TCS Racing

Founded	2016
Base	Kidlington, Oxfordshire
Team principal(s)	James Barclay
Current series	Formula E
Former series	Formula One
Current drivers	Mitch Evans Nick Cassidy Tom Dillmann Joel Eriksson
Teams' Championships	2023–24
Website	https://www.jaguar.com/jaguar-racing/index.html

Jaguar Racing is the name for all the exciting car racing activities of Jaguar Land Rover. Currently, they race in Formula E as Jaguar TCS Racing. This is thanks to their partnership with Tata Consultancy Services. Before this, Jaguar Racing was a Formula One team. They competed in the FIA Formula One World Championship from 2000 to 2004.

Besides single-seater cars like Formula E and Formula One, the Jaguar brand has a long history in sportscar racing. They were very successful with their Jaguar XJR sportscars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jaguar Racing recently won the 2023–24 Formula E World Championship. This was their first big motorsport win since the 1990s!

Jaguar in Formula One Racing

Jaguar Racing was once a Formula One team. They raced from 2000 to 2004. The team was created when Ford bought Jackie Stewart's Stewart Grand Prix team in 1999. Ford wanted to promote their Jaguar car company. Even though it was called Jaguar Racing, the cars used Ford Cosworth engines.

Drivers like Eddie Irvine, Mark Webber, and Christian Klien raced for Jaguar in Formula One. The team's best results were two third-place finishes. One was at the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix and the other at the 2002 Italian Grand Prix.

The 2000 Formula One Season

In 2000, Wolfgang Reitzle managed the team. They hired Eddie Irvine, who was a top driver. But the team didn't do as well as Stewart Grand Prix had in 1999. Jaguar finished ninth in the Constructors' Championship.

The 2001 Formula One Season

Pedro de la Rosa driving the Jaguar R2 at the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix.

Bobby Rahal took over as manager in 2001. Results didn't get better. Even when three-time F1 World Champion Niki Lauda joined, it didn't help much. The best moment was when Irvine finished third at the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix. This was Jaguar's first podium finish! The team ended up eighth in the Constructors' Championship.

The 2002 Formula One Season

Eddie Irvine driving the R3 at the 2002 United States Grand Prix.

The 2002 season was tough. Ford's leaders started to worry about how much money the team was costing. Irvine got another third-place finish at Monza. This was Jaguar's last podium in Formula One. They finished seventh in the Constructors' Championship.

The 2003 Formula One Season

In 2003, the team had less money. Niki Lauda and many staff members left. But the team's performance improved. They had good management and used their resources better. New drivers Mark Webber and Antônio Pizzonia (later replaced by Justin Wilson) helped the team stay in seventh place.

The 2004 Formula One Season

Mark Webber driving the R5 at the 2004 United States Grand Prix.

In their last season, Jaguar got some fun attention. Two mechanics took an inflatable donkey from the movie Shrek around the races. They even got famous people to sign it! For the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix, Jaguar's cars had special nose cones to promote the movie Ocean's Twelve. Diamonds were even attached to the cars!

Ford decided to sell the team at the end of 2004. They wanted to focus on other racing, like the World Rally Championship. In November 2004, the energy drink company Red Bull bought the team. It became Red Bull Racing.

Jaguar in Formula E Racing

Jaguar decided to join Formula E in 2015. Formula E is a racing series for electric cars. Unlike their Formula One effort, Jaguar built their own electric car parts for Formula E. They joined the series in its third season, taking the place of the Trulli GP team.

The 2016–17 Formula E Season

Mitch Evans driving the Jaguar I-Type 1 at the 2017 Berlin ePrix.

Jaguar signed drivers Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans. Panasonic became their main sponsor. The team finished 10th in the Teams' Championship. Their best race was in Mexico City, where they scored points with both cars.

The 2017–18 Formula E Season

Nelson Piquet Jr. (pictured at the 2018 Berlin ePrix) was the team's first major signing.

Jaguar partnered with GKN and Viessmann. They signed Nelson Piquet Jr., who was a former Formula E champion, to race alongside Mitch Evans. At the first race in Hong Kong, Mitch Evans got Jaguar's first podium finish in Formula E! He was moved to third place after another driver was disqualified. Evans also got the team's first pole position in Zürich. The team finished 6th in the Teams' Championship.

The 2018–19 Formula E Season

Evans driving the I-Type 3 at the 2019 Marrakesh ePrix. This car/driver combination would give the team its first victory at the 2019 Rome ePrix.

Evans and Piquet continued as drivers. In March 2019, Piquet left the team. Alex Lynn took his place. Evans then won the next race in Rome! This was Jaguar's first ever win in Formula E.

The team had a strong second half of the season. Evans got several more podium finishes. He even fought for the Drivers' Championship. Despite this, Jaguar finished 7th in the Teams' Championship. Evans finished fifth in the Drivers' Championship.

The 2019–20 Formula E Season

James Calado driving the I-Type 4 at the 2020 Mexico City ePrix, from which he was later disqualified.

Mitch Evans signed a new contract to stay with Jaguar. James Calado became his teammate. Jaguar also showed off their new I-Type 4 car. Castrol joined as a new partner.

At the Mexico City ePrix, Evans won again! This was Jaguar's second Formula E victory. The team finished 7th in the Teams' Championship again.

The 2020–21 Formula E Season

James Barclay (bottom, pictured in 2023) has been the team principal since the project started. Gerd Mäuser (top left) served as chairman between 2016 and 2021, with Thierry Bolloré (top right) replacing him in the role. Bolloré himself stepped down in 2022.

Jaguar announced that Sam Bird would join the team, racing alongside Mitch Evans. They also showed their new I-Type 5 car. In the first race weekend in Diriyah, the team got two podium finishes. Bird won his first race for Jaguar in the second Diriyah race! After this, Jaguar led the Teams' Championship for the first time.

Jaguar Racing had their most successful season yet. They finished second in the Teams' Championship. They won two races and had six other podium finishes. Evans got the most podium finishes of any driver that season.

The 2021–22 Formula E Season

In November 2021, the team changed its name to Jaguar TCS Racing. Bird and Evans remained as drivers. After a slow start, Jaguar did very well at the Rome ePrix. Evans won both races there! He also won another race in Jakarta. The team finished 4th in the Teams' Championship.

The 2022–23 Formula E Season

Sam Bird followed by Evans at the 2023 Berlin ePrix, where the team scored its first 1-2 finish.

Evans and Bird continued to race for Jaguar. The team's cars got a new look, with white and black colors. The season started with some problems. But Jaguar-powered cars became very strong. They won several races and got many podiums. Jaguar finished second in the Teams' Championship. Evans finished third in the Drivers' Championship.

The 2023–24 Formula E Season

For the 2023–24 season, Nick Cassidy joined Mitch Evans. This was the team's best season ever! Both drivers won two races each. They were very close to winning all three championships (Teams', Drivers', and Manufacturers'). They won the Teams' Championship and the new Manufacturers' trophy. However, they just missed out on the Drivers' title. Evans finished second and Cassidy finished third.

Sponsors of Jaguar Racing

Jaguar Racing has worked with many important sponsors over the years. These companies help the team by providing money and technology. Some of their main sponsors have included Panasonic, Tata Consultancy Services, GKN, Viessmann, and Castrol.

Sports Car Racing History

Jaguar has a long and successful history in sports car racing.

XJR Sportscars

The XJR-9 won the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona and the 2010 Le Mans Legend.

The Jaguar XJR sportscars were special racing cars. They competed in championships like the World Sportscar Championship from 1984 to 1993. These cars were very successful. Some big wins include:

Winning the 1987 World Sportscar Championship.
Winning the 1988 World Sportscar Championship, including the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Winning the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Winning the 1991 World Sportscar Championship.

GT2 and GT3 Racing

RSR Racing competing at the 2011 Petit Le Mans with Jaguar XKR GT2.

In 2009, a team called RSR Racing introduced a new Jaguar XKR GT2 car. They raced it in the American Le Mans Series. They also raced at the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Later, Jaguar cars also competed in GT3 races. The Switzerland-based team Emil Frey Racing raced special Jaguar XK Emil Frey G3 cars. These cars were developed by Emil Frey Racing with Jaguar's approval. They won a championship in their final season in 2018.

GT4 Racing

Invictus Games Racing presenting their Jaguar F-Type SVR GT4 at the 2018 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

A new team called Invictus Games Racing joined the British GT Championship in 2018. They raced two new Jaguar F-Type SVR GT4 cars. These cars were made by Jaguar Land Rover's SVO division. The Invictus team stopped racing before the 2020 season.

I-Pace eTrophy Series

For the 2018–19 season, Jaguar Racing started its own support race series. It was called the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY. This series used electric Jaguar I-PACE cars. Up to 20 drivers could race, and there was a different VIP driver at each event. The series was canceled after the 2019–20 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Images for kids

2016–2020
2020–2021
2021–2022