JM_0216_UK

FORMULA E
E-STREET
FIGHTERS
FOR SUCH A LITTLE CAR, THE JAGUAR I-TYPE CARRIES A LOT OF EXPECTATIONS. AS GQ’S JASON
BARLOW FOUND OUT IT’S TASKED NOT ONLY WITH PUTTING JAGUAR BACK ON THE PODIUM
BUT WITH INSPIRING A WHOLE NEW GENERATION OF ELECTRIC JAGUARS, STARTING WITH I-PACE
Jaguar is the creator of some of the most soul-stirring
internal combustion engines in automotive history. But the
company is also embarking on a radical new electric
mission, and by getting involved with the rapidly evolving
Formula E global electric race series the communication
couldn’t be clearer. They mean it.
“Formula E is an innovative series with competitive,
close racing in front of urban audiences. It develops EV
tech and helps change the perception of electric cars,” says
Panasonic Jaguar Racing chairman, Gerd Mäuser.
“Electrifcation is the future,” Jaguar’s Group Engineering
Director Nick Rogers adds.
Team Director James Barclay is charged with directly
surmounting the new challenge for Jaguar, building the
whole team to operational fitness at each race, and
masterminding strategy. “We’ve been looking to return to
motorsport for a while, but it had to be for the right
reasons,” he says. “Formula E is going to become a very
interesting championship, and it’s a great proving ground
for EV technology. We wanted to come in with a full works
programme, so we could control our destiny. There are still
many pluses to doing a sports car programme, but this is a
bolder step, and also a step into a new technology. We
want to be a leader in this field.”
To which end, the team has appointed Williams
Advanced Engineering as a technical partner. One of a
handful of top-line names involved in this bold racing
initiative, Williams has supplied the batteries that power
every car on the grid since the series’ inception in 2014.
Williams, of course, is a Formula One grandee. But mastering
the science of F1 has led to tangential competencies in other
industries and disciplines. F1 is essentially a fortnightly
problem-solving pressure cooker, and with its focus on
lightweight, hi-tech materials, the spin-offs are multifarious.
“Williams wants to be in motorsport, and we want to be
in the most technically advanced and challenging parts of
motorsport,” Paul McNamara, Technical Director at WAE,
explains. “Energy efficient performance is our mantra as an
engineering organisation, and we’re building high
performance, high power, high storage batteries that will go
on the road. Formula E has provided a great platform for
evaluating the technology. A racetrack provides a very clear
and understood test regime. We can push the boundaries.”
And what racetracks they are. Formula E’s city
orientation – with Hong Kong, Marrakesh and New York
thrilling new-for-season three venues, along with Monaco,
Montreal and others – isn’t just a novel entertainment USP, it
underscores the need for sustainability. Formula E knows it
can’t rely on the local grid to charge the cars, so a Cummins
diesel generator has been converted to run on a glycerin
PHOTOGRAPHY: SPACESUIT, LAT
38 THE JAGUAR