Closed Circuit: Panasonic Jaguar Racing in Hong Kong

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The big cat roared back into action in Hong Kong, as Jaguar made their return to international single seater racing. And while the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team was not able to score points at their inaugural ePrix, there were plenty of positives to take from the weekend.

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Both Jaguar drivers got their first taste of a Formula E street circuit in Free Practice Sessions. Afterwards, in qualifying, Mitch Evans got P16 and Adam Carroll, P17, due to a three-place penalty. Despite starting from the back of the grid, both drivers could soon move up an important number of positions.

By the 18th lap, when the safety car was deployed, Evans was in P10, with an impressive drive from his starting position. Carroll, by that time, was behind his teammate in P11. At this point it looked like the team could have at least one driver finishing in the top 10 on their Formula E debut.

However, by the time that 2012 GP3 champion Evans had to swap cars, an electrical issue was detected on his vehicle, and the team decided not to let him race on in the second car. Carroll, on the other hand, did run his second car, but lost one place after a slow pit stop, finishing the race in P12.

Despite having a troubled race, the team expressed its satisfaction on how the racing went on its very first race, with both drivers gaining a considerable number of places during the race, before the appearance of the safety car and the car swap.

One thing that must be highlighted was the excellent battery management shown by both drivers: Carroll and Evans were both able to stretch their first stints out until lap 25, with only Sam Bird and Robin Frijns managing the same or longer. Considering it was the very first ePrix for drivers and team, this is very promising for the races that lie ahead.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying” tab_id=”1461512175704-af49c202-f1e45043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Hong Kong” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Mitch%20Evans%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2215%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Adam%20Carroll%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2217%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: race” tab_id=”1461512175763-831c2584-42cf5043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Hong Kong” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Mitch%20Evans%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2218%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Adam%20Carroll%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2212%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: race”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The team says: “…“” tab_id=”1461512258191-0360a250-a68c5043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_column_text][perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]
James Barclay, Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Team Director, was rather positive when asked about the team’s viewpoint on the race. “Panasonic Jaguar Racing can take away many positives from our Formula E debut in Hong Kong. The team and drivers have not raced before in Formula E and we have bedded in as a team, gelled well, and learned a huge amount”.[/perfectpullquote][/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461512214611-352b21f1-c5375043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Hong Kong” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Panasonic%20Jaguar%20Racing%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Mitch Evans” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Mitch Evans’ race in words” tab_id=”1461512310664-cbeb96df-4af05043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_column_text]

GP2 star Mitch Evans got his first taste of Formula E street circuit racing at the Hong Kong ePrix. The driver from New Zealand started in P15 but was soon moving up many positions. He stayed out of trouble and could achieve a P10 position, by lap 18.

However, when it was time for car swap, an electrical issue was found on his car, and the team made the decision not to release him to run his second car, to prevent any kid of damage this issue could generate. This meant the Kiwi had to retire from the race, missing the possibility of scoring points on his debut.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Lap chart” tab_id=”1461512310716-c8bf2e2d-dbb95043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Starting position; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33; 34; 35; 36; 37; 38; 39; 40; 41; 42; 43;44; 45″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Mitch%20Evans%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2215%3B13%3B14%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B12%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B12%3B12%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B10%3B10%3B5%3B4%3B5%3B3%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%5D” title=”Mitch Evans: lap chart”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The race in numbers” tab_id=”1461512375203-dc62694e-d0395043-b572af53-f86f”][vc_column_text]

Best time in FP1: 1:05.182 (P20)

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Best time in FP2: 1:04.336 (P19)

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Best time in qualifying: 1:04.588 (P16)

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Best time in the race: 1:05.474 (lap 10)

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[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Evans was positive about his car’s performance, and looks forward to racing again next month in Morocco. “It’s a shame I wasn’t able to complete the race this time, but I’ve learnt a lot. I made a good start and picked up a couple of places, and was running well in the pack. The Jaguar I-Type performed well, and I can’t wait to get back in the car to race in Marrakesh!”[/perfectpullquote]

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A penalty for speeding under red flags in free practice, and a subsequent grid drop from P14 to P17, did not stop Northern Ireland’s Adam Carroll from showing good pace in Hong Kong. He soon moved up to 11th, one position behind his teammate.

From the car swap onwards – where he lost one position after a stop 10.6 seconds slower than the minimum time – he drove strongly and consistently to remain near the Top 10, a zone he could not quite enter as he finished a solid P12 by the end of the ePrix.

His performance encouraged the team and gave a glimpse of what’s to come – and he is definitely one to watch in Morocco next month.

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Best time in FP1: 1:05.081 (P19)

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Best time in FP2: 1:04.020 (P17)

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Best time in qualifying: 1:04.428 (P14)

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Best time in the race: 1:04.732 (lap 33)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 52.6s (10.6s above minimum time)

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[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Happy with how the weekend went, and promising a stronger performance next race, Carroll said: “I am feeling pretty pleased. We showed decent and consistent race pace and we were particularly strong on energy management. Everybody’s worked really hard to get here and we’ve learnt fast all weekend. There is much more to come”.[/perfectpullquote]

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Title image courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

Supporting images courtesy of Rajan Jangda

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