Mitch Evans’ Decision to Leave Jaguar in Formula E
Mitch Evans has shared the key reasons behind his decision to leave Jaguar and seek new opportunities within Formula E. The Kiwi driver announced that he will depart the British manufacturer at the end of the 2025-26 season, making way for an unexpected move to the newly formed Opel team.
This decision marks the end of a decade-long association with Jaguar, which began when the team made its high-profile return to motorsport during the final stages of Formula E’s Gen1 era in 2016-17. Over the years, Evans became closely linked with Jaguar’s Formula E programme, achieving remarkable success by winning 15 races – a record for any driver in the series history. He also secured two second-place finishes in the championship.
Despite this success, Evans’ relationship with Jaguar has not always been smooth. He publicly criticized the team after some questionable strategic decisions led to the loss of both him and his teammate Nick Cassidy’s title chances in 2024. Since then, there have been several changes in Jaguar’s management, including the appointment of Ian James as team principal for the current season. However, Evans had been considering an exit for some time before the official announcement.
Speaking on the eve of the Berlin E-Prix, Evans highlighted the introduction of the new Gen4 car for the 2026-27 season as a key factor in his decision. “It’s been talked about for a while, [but] I decided recently to move on,” he said. “With the regulation change coming up next year, I just felt like it was the right time to do it.”
Evans emphasized that his long tenure with the team – 10 years – is unusual in their sport. “With the regulation change coming up, I just thought it was a good time to change. It was mainly down to that. I had good opportunities, good offers on the table. I just thought now was the right time.”
Jaguar’s journey in Formula E has been marked by missed opportunities. While the team has consistently competed at the front over the last six seasons, it has only claimed one teams’ championship and no drivers’ titles. In addition to the disappointment of 2024, the team lost another title chance in 2021 when Evans’ car failed to start in the Berlin finale due to a mechanical problem.
Fellow Kiwi Nick Cassidy also left Jaguar at the end of last season, joining the rebranded Citroen team as part of a new line-up. When asked if these frustrations influenced his decision, Evans responded: “Yes and no. What happened at Jarama [with team orders] had no impact on that. But for sure, some of the last few London races weren’t great. That’s not great for the relationship. But on the other hand, it wasn’t really a big factor in why we’re not going to be with each other in the future.”
Evans mentioned that there were varied reactions when he informed Jaguar of his decision. “I think some were maybe thinking it could happen, some were a little bit more shocked,” he said. “But everyone knew that my contract was finishing this year anyway. So everyone knew there was a chance that I could either stay or potentially leave. I guess there are maybe some happy people and some sad people. I don’t know, it’s natural.”
He added that the focus now is on concluding the chapter with a strong performance. “But generally we’re all just focusing on trying to finish well together and close the chapter out the way that we want to. And that’s hopefully with another teams’ world championship and a drivers’ world championship.”
Formula E
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