Jaguar have confirmed they are to return to motorsport, taking part in the third season of the Formula E championship next autumn.
They are due to take the place of the Trulli team who after a difficult summer and start to the season, they announced their withdrawal this morning from the sport leaving the space open for Jaguar to enter in the third season.
Jaguar in the past have taken part in both Formula One, which they later sold to Red Bull and Le Mans and is just one of a number of major car manufacturers to have backed the new electric series. Renault, Citroen & Audi/Volkswagen all have relationships with existing teams.
The Formula One team had limited success after taking over the Stewart Grand Prix team, even with a group of talented drivers including Eddie Irvine, Mark Webber and Justin Wilson.
Nick Rogers, Group Engineering Director at Jaguar Land Rover said, “I am proud to announce Jaguar’s return to racing with an entry into the innovative FIA Formula E Championship. Electric vehicles will absolutely play a role in Jaguar Land Rover’s future product portfolio and Formula E will give us a unique opportunity to further our development of electrification techniques.”
Alejandro Agag, the CEO of Formula E said, “We are delighted to welcome Jaguar into Formula E. Jaguar is brand with a rich sporting heritage and the fact that it is returning to a global motorsport with Formula E is a huge endorsement of the championship and its ability to influence the development of electric cars.” The entry will be in partnership with Formula One team Williams’ sister company Williams Advanced Engineering, with the aim of producing electric cars within the Jaguar Land Rover group.
