Evans talks about problems at Jaguar TCS Racing: "Can't quite say at the moment what the reason is"

The reigning world champion team Jaguar TCS Racing is not doing very well this season. In the latest Formula E podcast from The Race, Mitch Evans talks openly about the difficult situation his team currently finds itself in. He also clearly expresses his opinion on a topic that is currently preoccupying the motorsport world: the FIA's stricter rules regarding verbal offences by drivers.

At the moment, Jaguar TCS Racing is not in good shape. With only 35 points collected so far, last year's constructors' world champion is only in 7th place in the current championship. Mitch Evans' surprise victory in Sao Paulo seems almost forgotten, and one could almost say that points have become a rarity since Mexico City. Both there and in Jeddah, Evans' races were decided by rear-end collisions. In race 4, however, he could do nothing about his retirement. Due to a fault in the brake-by-wire system, he had to park his car prematurely. However, the qualifying pace of the entire team also left a lot to be desired.

Peloton-Racing masks problems

Evans tries to explain the current situation: "We can't quite say at the moment what the reason for the poor pace is. Looking back at Sao Paulo, to be honest, there were already signs. We were always a good two to three tenths behind in practice. That was also the case in Mexico, although I got as far as the duels there. Nevertheless, I was quickly eliminated in the quarter-finals. The same thing happened again in Jeddah."

"At the moment it is worrying because all four cars are having problems," continued Evans. "Fast races expose our problems even more. You could see with Nick (Cassidy) that he was finding it very difficult to get through the field. In the peloton-style races, the balance of the car is less important. We were simply able to save energy smarter and get to the front with the strategy. We don't know whether other teams have simply done a better job than us with their packages, or whether there are things we can still improve on."

When asked whether there is tension between him and his team-mate Nick Cassidy, who is currently only 14th in the drivers' world championship with ten points, Evans denies: "Everything is great between Nick and me, actually really good! We are both motivated to solve the problems. We are both very hungry and have been used to being at the front end of the field for a few seasons now. In the last two seasons, he has also always been one of the strongest in Formula E."

"When you realise, for example, that you're not getting the lap time you want, it's only natural that you get frustrated," explains Evans. "I think some of Nick's radio messages were misinterpreted. It was really about him wanting to try the same thing in terms of the software that I had. I don't think he got what I had."

"If anyone should regulate something, it should be the teams themselves"

Speaking of radio messages: Evans also has a clear opinion on the topic of stricter rules for drivers for verbal derailments and also an interesting suggestion: "I am definitely no angel on the radio. I guess it depends from which perspective you look at the issue. From a driver's point of view, I think it's a bit unfair. In any other sport, the athletes don't have a microphone on. In our sport, you're interviewed for two minutes before you get into the car."

"On the track, it feels like Big Brother is watching you the whole time. So much happens in those 45 minutes. There's so much adrenaline. People only see these 45 minutes and not everything that is necessary beforehand. In the car, five seconds feels much longer than it actually is, because answers are needed quickly and so much is happening around you. I think you become a different person - almost like a split personality. Some drivers are really good at managing that."

"The real question here should be whether it makes sense to include the radio messages in the transmission at all," Evans suggests. "I understand that it's a great insight for journalists and fans, but we drivers don't gain anything from it. I can even understand the move for interviews and press conferences, as children could also be watching. But otherwise I think it's unfair for us, and it's going too far."

"If anyone wants to control this at all, it should be the teams themselves, as they are the ones who pay us. At the same time, nobody wants us to become robots. Everyone has a different personality and reacts differently in situations. That's the great thing about sport. If we all give the same answers, we become uninteresting and so does sport. In my opinion, it's slowly becoming too controlling", Evans continues.

Jaguar has just over six weeks until the Miami E-Prix to find out whether the problems can be solved quickly. To do this, the Formula E teams have the opportunity to carry out test days, which Jaguar will realise in Spain. Evans will also be training with Brooklyn Beckham, whom he will prepare for the upcoming "Evo Sessions" in March.