PREVIEW: Can Jaguar return to the top of Formula E once again?
- Teagan Crump
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Written by Teagan Crump, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
In the lead-up to Formula E’s Season 12, DIVEBOMB’s writers preview the season ahead for each of the 10 teams taking part in the all-electric racing series. The next part of this series looks at a team whose drivers are itching to go for glory in 2026.
Team history - Jaguar
Jaguar has proven itself to be one of the most competitive teams in Formula E since entering the all-electric series in 2016.
Historically, Jaguar competed in Formula One from 2000 to 2004, achieving a best result of seventh in the Constructors’ Championship. 2004 saw the team being sold to Red Bull, and it changed its name to Red Bull Racing.
Jaguar also had successes in the FIA World Sportscar Championship and IMSA GT Championship during the 1980s and 1990s.
In December 2015, Jaguar announced they would be starting a Formula E team and would be building their own chassis and powertrain. Initially, the team was known as Panasonic Jaguar Racing, before becoming Jaguar Racing for the 2020- 2021 season. From 2021, Jaguar became Jaguar TCS Racing.
Across their time in Formula E, Jaguar has had 10 drivers compete for them. Initially, it was Mitch Evans and Jack Carroll. In 2017, Nelson Piquet Jr joined the team, before departing halfway through the 2018-19 season. He was replaced by Alex Lynn, who left Jaguar at the end of 2019.
2019- 2020 saw current Ferrari hypercar racer James Calado partner Evans, but he was replaced by Tom Blomqvist for the final two races of the season. In 2020, Sam Bird joined Jaguar Racing, where he remained for three seasons (except the 2022 Seoul E-Prix, where he was replaced by Norman Nato).
2023 saw an all-Kiwi line-up for Jaguar, with Nick Cassidy joining Mitch Evans. The New Zealand duo remained for two seasons, claiming the Constructors’ title in Season 10.
Ahead of Season 12, Nick Cassidy left Jaguar TCS Racing and was replaced by António Félix da Costa.
Who’s driving for Jaguar in Season 12?
Mitch Evans is a driver instantly associated with Jaguar Racing. He signed with them after four years in GP2 and a pre-season test with the team at Donington Park. His first season was challenging; he scored 22 points across 12 races and suffered three retirements. However, the New Zealander showed potential as he outscored his teammate by a significant 17 points.
During the 2017- 18 season, Evans claimed his maiden podium at the Hong Kong E-Prix, and during the next season, he took his maiden race win.
Another victory followed at the Rome E-Prix, while Evans claimed two additional podiums in Switzerland and New York City. 2019- 20 saw another two podiums for Evans, including a win in Mexico City.
An impressive run of five podiums in Season 7 (2020-21) saw Evans finish fourth in the drivers' standings, a finish he bettered in 2021- 22, when he claimed second in the drivers' standings with a total of seven podiums, including four wins.
The same was repeated during the 2022- 2023 season, but Evans finished one position lower in the drivers' championship. Season 10 saw Evans earn second in the championship.
He won two races and got four additional podiums. Season 11 of Formula E was a struggle for Evans; despite taking two wins, he finished 14th in the drivers' championship.
António Félix da Costa has been a figure in Formula E since the initial series in 2014. He took race victory in Buenos Aires, racing for Amlin Aguri. Da Costa participated in a dual campaign in that year; alongside Formula E, he competed in DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters). For 2015- 2016, da Costa continued with his dual DTM and Formula E campaign, but he struggled in the all-electric series, and he finished 13th in the drivers' standings.
For Season 3, da Costa continued his DTM career, but switched to Andretti in Formula E. He struggled immensely during the season, scoring just ten points. 2017- 2018 was also a struggle for the Portuguese driver. He competed across several disciplines of GT racing alongside his 15th-place championship finish in Formula E.
Season 5 saw a BMW sponsorship for Andretti and an improvement for da Costa. He won one race and scored three further podiums, finishing sixth in the championship. da Costa also raced in the World Endurance Championship in the LMGTE Pro category.
For 2019- 2020, António Félix da Costa moved to the LMP2 category in WEC, and left Andretti for DS Techeetah in Formula E. In Formula E, the Portuguese driver claimed three races and three additional podiums, on his way to claiming the Formula E Drivers' Championship. His victory in Marrakesh was da Costa’s first for the team, and also the third biggest winning margin in Formula E history, finishing over 11 seconds ahead of the second-place driver.
Seasons 7 and 8 saw da Costa compete in another dual WEC and Formula E campaign. Across the two seasons, António Félix da Costa earned two wins and three further podiums. He also won the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Ahead of Season 9, da Costa made the move to TAG Heuer Porsche and moved to the WEC Hypercar category. In the electric series, da Costa claimed one win and two additional podiums.
In Season 10, da Costa added to his win list by claiming another four race wins. He also finished sixth in the drivers standings. Season 11 was unconventional as the Portuguese driver finished third in the championship, despite claiming no wins and only four podiums.
For 2025- 2026, da Costa is participating in both Formula E and the WEC Hypercar category.
António Félix da Costa is not the only new face at Jaguar, the team have appointed a new Team Principal- Ian James. Ian James, who will also be Managing Director of JLR Motorsport, has a wealth of leadership experience in motorsport. James has led Mercedes EQ to four World Championship titles (two Teams’ and two Drivers’) in the past, before staying on with McLaren. He will be leading the team into the GEN4 era of Formula E.
Stoffel Vandoorne is also a new member of Jaguar Racing, he has joined the team as a reserve driver after failing to secure a race seat ahead of Season 12.
How pre-season testing went for Jaguar
Both Jaguar drivers had mixed results in pre-season testing. On day one, both drivers managed to break into the top ten, but only managed to finish eighth and ninth. Evans and da Costa, however, did manage to do over 150 laps each during the test days, which gave them valuable experience in the Jaguar Formula E car.
What happened to Jaguar in Season 11?
Season 11 saw Jaguar TCS Racing claim six victories, despite a slow start to the season. Evans won two races, one in São Paulo and one in Berlin. Cassidy, who departed Jaguar at the end of the 2024- 2025 season, won four races and finished second in the drivers’ standings. Cassidy showed a dominant display at the end of Season 11, winning the final three races — one in Berlin and both London E-Prix.
Bold prediction for Jaguar in Season 12
One main thing to watch out for in 2025- 2026 will be the dynamic between Evans and da Costa. Both drivers have the ability to win races and fight for titles, but how will they fare when competing against one another in the same team?
A bold prediction for Jaguar TCS Racing ahead of Season 12, is that Mitch Evans will out-preform António Félix da Costa significantly. The duo’s head to head battle will be leaning greatly towards the New Zealander.
