Pre-race day at a Formula E weekend doesn’t begin with speed. It begins with structure, timing, and preparation. In Miami, that rhythm started early. Outside, the air was cooler than expected for Miami, and the city still subdued in the morning light. On Friday morning, the brand and press group gathered in the lobby of the Andaz Miami Beach, moving together into a line of Range Rover Sport models that would carry us across the city toward the Miami International Autodrome track. Media day has its own atmosphere, distinct from race day energy. It’s slower, more conversational, built around access and insight rather than adrenaline.
The first stop was the Jaguar Racing garage: Jaguar’s position within the paddock reflected championship order from the previous season, placing the team in the second garage. Inside the garage, the GEN3 Evo car sat prepared, surrounded by engineers, laptops, and neatly organized equipment, with remarkably little excess. What stood out was how much wasn’t there. As the team walked us through the space, it became clear that what happens in the garage is only the visible layer of a much larger operation. Formula E cars are developed on long cycles, not race by race, but year by year. Jaguar is in the second year of the current homologation period, with major powertrain elements locked in and refined over time. The motor, inverter, gearbox, and suspension are developed within strict regulations, then frozen. Between races, Jaguar’s engineers don’t rebuild the car, but constantly rewrite it. Setup begins virtually, long before the car arrives in Miami. Digital models simulate braking behavior, corner entry, regenerative energy recovery, and how the car responds to the unique demands of each track. These simulations don’t require a driver and they don’t require a physical car. They exist in parallel, running continuously back at Jaguar’s UK headquarters while the race team travels.
Formula E is a data-led championship by necessity. Physical testing is heavily limited and track time is precious. There are only so many days a year when the car can be run in the real world and everything else happens digitally. Engineers work through thousands of scenarios, adjusting parameters virtually, then delivering software updates that are uploaded to the car when it arrives at each race. So what appears trackside is the final expression of weeks, sometimes months, of invisible work. Logistics follow the same logic. Freight doesn’t return to base between races. Instead, it moves continuously from city to city in a global loop, handled by a centralized logistics partner. Once the season begins, teams may not see certain components again unless something goes wrong. Repairs happen within tight windows and updates must be planned long in advance. The moment the cars arrive at the circuit, the scope for change narrows dramatically. Standing inside the garage, watching engineers move with practiced efficiency, the scale of the operation became clearer. Formula E may look quieter than other forms of motorsport, but the intensity is compressed because decisions are made earlier and margins are tighter.
From the garage, the day transitioned into conversation. Roundtables with drivers António Félix da Costa and Mitch Evans, followed by team principal Ian James, added a human layer to what had just been seen. Their discussions about preparation, collaboration, and energy management framed Formula E as a championship where restraint is not a limitation, but a competitive advantage.
Lunch passed quickly, functional and efficient, before attention returned to the garage for rookie practice. Held ahead of traditional sessions, the rookie run exists in a space between opportunity and utility. For young drivers, it’s a rare chance to experience GEN3 Evo machinery. For teams, it’s early access to real-world data from the track. Alessandro Giusti took the wheel for Jaguar Racing during the 40-minute session, finishing sixth with a fastest lap of 56.278. The data on braking zones, regeneration patterns, grip levels, and energy usage fed directly back into Jaguar’s preparation. In Formula E, information gathered on Friday can quietly shape what happens on Sunday. Engineers watched screens more than lap times, tracking variables that would influence strategy later. At the time, there was no visible hint that Mitch Evans would go on to win a rain-affected Miami E-Prix with a composed, assured drive. On Friday, that outcome was still theoretical, but what mattered was readiness.
As afternoon softened into evening, the track receded and the schedule shifted again. Dinner brought the group together away from the circuit, creating space for conversation. Over a relaxed meal, members of Jaguar Land Rover’s media, brand, and motorsport teams spoke openly about travel, pacing, and the realities of sustaining a global season. The tone was warm and unguarded, a reminder that this highly technical sport is still powered by people. By the time pre-race day came to a close, Formula E had revealed itself not as a spectacle waiting to erupt, but as a system already in motion. For Jaguar Racing, Friday was not about spectacle, but about ensuring that when conditions changed, whether through weather, strategy, or pressure, the foundation would hold.
