James Barclay to depart Jaguar at end of Formula E season
James Barclay, the long-standing team principal of Jaguar TCS Racing and managing director of JLR Motorsport, is set to leave Jaguar Land Rover at the end of the current Formula E season, the company has confirmed.
Barclay will officially step down from his roles on 1 August 2025, with JLR stating that he is leaving to take up “an exciting role outside our business.” His successor has not yet been announced, and no timeline has been given for a replacement.
“James has been an integral member of the JLR leadership team since he joined the company in 2013,” the company said in a statement. “Among many significant accomplishments, last year James sensationally led Jaguar TCS Racing to Jaguar’s first world championship win since 1991.”
Barclay joined JLR after an 11-year stint at Bentley, where he was part of the team that triumphed at Le Mans in 2003, and a three-year period at Lotus, where he held a series of marketing roles. He took over as team director of Jaguar’s Formula E project in 2015, ahead of the team’s debut in the 2016–17 season, and became team principal and managing director of JLR Motorsport in 2021.
Under his leadership, Jaguar TCS Racing secured 17 race wins, over 30 podiums, and its most celebrated result to date: the 2023–24 Formula E Teams’ Championship—Jaguar’s first global motorsport title in more than three decades. During Barclay’s tenure, customer team Envision Racing also claimed the championship in the previous season, further cementing Jaguar’s position as a dominant force in electric motorsport.
Barclay has also played a central role in shaping JLR’s motorsport future. Most notably, he spearheaded the upcoming Defender factory entry into the Dakar Rally and FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, set to debut in 2026.
“James will continue in his current role leading the JLR Motorsport function until 01 August,” the company confirmed.
His departure follows the exit of technical director Phil Charles last year, who left the team for DS Penske. Barclay’s move marks the end of a significant era for Jaguar’s return to motorsport, with his leadership widely credited for transforming the Formula E project into a world-class programme.
