Oliver Rowland Says Jaguar Made Biggest Leap

Formula E, Sportrik Media – Reigning world champion Oliver Rowland has described Jaguar TCS Racing as the team that has made the “biggest jump” compared to the same stage last season, highlighting its clear step forward in early Formula E competition.

Although Jaguar’s major points haul in Miami came through victory for Mitch Evans, the British manufacturer has impressed much of the paddock across the opening rounds. Last season, the team struggled significantly for performance at the outset, but it has since demonstrated measurable gains in both qualifying pace and overall competitiveness.

Rowland singled out new signing António Félix da Costa as a standout performer, suggesting his modest points tally does not accurately reflect his speed.

“I think Jaguar has made the biggest jump since this time last year,” Rowland told RacingNews365 in Jeddah. “They were nowhere at the start of last year.

“Now, when you look at qualifying, António has been impressive. In Mexico, he missed FP2 and still nearly got into the duels. He looked super quick in Miami and also in São Paulo.

“He looks fast. He just needs to put a weekend together.”

The upcoming Jeddah E-Prix at the Corniche Circuit is widely viewed as a pivotal round, particularly given the challenges many teams faced there 12 months ago. Rowland was dominant in Saudi Arabia last season, securing a second-place finish and a victory, but he believes the competitive landscape has shifted.

Asked whether this campaign feels different from his title-winning year, Rowland acknowledged the increasing depth of competition.

“Yeah, I think so. It feels like there are more people scoring points every race.

“You can easily qualify 16th, 17th, 18th without doing a bad lap. Some races you can rescue that with strategy; races like this weekend, you can’t, so you have to be fast over one lap.”

With margins tightening and qualifying performance becoming increasingly decisive, Jaguar’s apparent resurgence adds another layer to an already compressed Formula E field as the championship heads into a critical phase in Jeddah.