While Jaguar TCS Racing and TAG Heuer Porsche come into this weekend’s Formula E finale with both of their drivers in contention for the Drivers’ title, both are also in the hunt for the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ championships as well.
That presents an intriguing scenario for the drivers at both teams, who will need to balance their own personal ambitions with doing the right thing by their employers.
“We all have the priority, obviously, us drivers in the Drivers’ championship, because we really want that title,” says Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. “But on the other hand, we are employed by our teams, and nothing is bigger than a team.”
That being said, Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy feels that while the drivers have their own aims, both go hand-in-hand and won’t impact each other.
“Ultimately, my feeling is that whichever team wins, the drivers will win,” said Cassidy. “If we do a great job collectively and as a team, I think we’ll win the Drivers’ as well. So let’s see what happens. But that’s kind of my prediction.”
It’s a prediction that’s somewhat shared by Cassidy’s boss James Barclay. He’s keen to stress that the team’s priority is the Teams’ championship, both drivers are free to fight one another.
“While both drivers have a mathematical chance, you have to let both of them fight for the championship, and that’s the reality,” said the Jaguar team principal. “But at the same time, absolutely everyone is here racing for Jaguar TCS Racing. That’s the absolute focus and the priority, but actually supporting both drivers equally. They both stand a chance to win the championship.”
That’s not a strategy that’s set in stone, though. With this weekend being a double-header, the entire championship complexion could change by Saturday night, with one round still to go. Should that be the case, Barclay says Jaguar would be willing to shift its balance to back one.
“If something changed on Saturday, we have to adjust that strategy at the same time,” he said. “It’s absolutely what we’ll do, and the whole team will kind of rally around what that decision is and take it forward from there.
“So yeah, it’s respectful to both drivers. They both have an opportunity, but if something changes, then our full support will go by and one of them to maximize that opportunity.”
Arriving in London at the top of the Teams’ standings, and occupying the top-two spots in the Drivers’ (with second-placed Evans level on points with Wehrlein in third), the brightest spotlights are those on the Jaguar team. The fact that it’s a home event adds an extra layer of pressure, too.
“Pressure is a privilege, as the saying goes,” Barclay said. “I think that home support is going to be something which we’ll really feel this weekend. We have huge amounts of colleagues, partners, media, and all sorts of people attending support the team. So from our point of view, a fantastic, fantastic platform which to do it.
“This is exactly what sport should be about, right? It’s about big crucibles, big moments, and that’s exactly what this weekend is about. And it gives us something to really be passionate about, and we’re really driven by that. The thought of being able to be successful in front of our home crowd is something which we’re excited by.”
While Porsche is very much the chaser, the German outfit’s team principal Florian Modlinger insists its destiny is in its own hands.
“I think we proved and showed that we are competitive on all kind of tracks. Last year we had a bit of a weakness in qualifying, this we sorted out for this year,” he said, alluding to Wehrlein currently having the equal-most number of pole positions this year. “This means we have it out in our own hands: put it on pole, try to do the win from the front two times.
Porsche needs to close down Jaguar’s points advantage, but the German manufacturer heads into this weekend’s finale believing that its fate is in its own hands. Dom Romney/Motorsport Images
“And that’s the big message. We have it in our own hands if we perform well here, we do not need luck, we do not need help from others, but we need to perform.”
Wehrlein agrees, knowing that continuing his strong qualifying run will be key to overhauling the Jaguars.
“I think we have everything in our own hands, which is great,” he said, echoing his boss’ words.
“The best way to start is to qualify at the front, and then have a clean race.”
On the driver front, it’s Evans that is leading the chase behind Cassidy. And having finished in the top-four for each of the last three seasons, it’s a familiar position for him. But also having been with Jaguar for the entirety of his – and indeed the team’s – time in Formula E, team success is also something that matters to him
“Obviously, I’ve been in this position quite a few times now, so it doesn’t feel too strange,” he said. “I mean, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t prefer to be in Nick’s shoes – I’m just always the one in contention, but not the one being chased.
“I think is a huge priority that we want to win this Teams’ (championship),” he added. “That’s going to be huge for Jaguar. We’ve come so close in the past. We’ve got second last year, second in Season 7, so I feel like this team really deserves that world championship
“So I think we got to treat it as a normal weekend in a way. Obviously, there’s a lot of weight behind it, and a lot at stake. But, I think we can’t micromanage it too much, just because you can’t in Formula E. It’s really difficult to do that.”
As for himself, it’s championship or nothing. If his chase proves to come up short, he won’t be disappointed if he slips even further back.
“I’m not really (keeping an eye on those behind), to be honest,” he said. “Both of us need to be scoring to be able to win this for the team. I think we’ve both got a responsibility.
“From a driver’s point of view, I think if I end up dropping the third or fourth, that doesn’t really bother me too much. I’m here to win. We’re all here to win, and I finished second and third too many times. I’ll definitely be disappointed not to win, but whether it’s second or third doesn’t really bother me too much.”
Cassidy has the lead, but many think this could be Evans’ year to finally get the championship monkey off his back. That being said, it’s Antonio Felix da Costa who comes to London as the form man. He’s an outsider, but given he’s won four of the last five races, some in the paddock are tipping him as a dark horse for the title.
“I’m not sure that’s realistic,” he countered. “I mean, thank you, but this form is not very normal in Formula E and it doesn’t last forever so I’ve already forgotten what we’ve done a couple of weeks ago.
“I just did my normal preparation for a weekend and I’m just trying to have fun driving the car at the moment. I don’t have a lot of pressure at the moment, a few titles on the line for us this weekend, but I’m just going to do my best and see where I come out.”
“The main goal at the moment is the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ championships. There are three guys very very close together, realistically speaking I’m just a little bit too far, but stranger things have happened in the world of motorsport.”
