Tag: London E-Prix

Cassidy masters the wet to win second London E-Prix

A day on from the frustration of seeing his championship chances evaporate via a collision with his teammate, Nick Cassidy put on a masterful display amid challenging wet conditions in the second Hankook London E-Prix for a fourth win of the season. …

A day on from the frustration of seeing his championship chances evaporate via a collision with his teammate, Nick Cassidy put on a masterful display amid challenging wet conditions in the second Hankook London E-Prix for a fourth win of the season. In the process, he helped ensure his Envision Racing team of its first ABB Formula E World Championship teams’ title.

After a series of delays for the wet weather to recede, Cassidy took charge from the start and strode to a comfortable win, heading home fellow New Zealander Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) and newly crowned champion Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) to deliver the teams’ crown to Jaguar drive train customers Envision Racing, ahead of the factory Jaguar TCS Racing squad.

Cassidy led from pole, lights-to-flag and set the fastest lap of the race, keeping Evans at arm’s length throughout, while the lead pair drew out some 10 seconds over next-best Dennis in the brutal conditions. Not only did the Envision Racing-run Jaguar I-TYPE 6 have the pace advantage but it also looked better on energy, too, and Cassidy led Evans home by 4.934s to clinch the runner-up place in the drivers’ table.

“That was really hard, especially being the race leader — I didn’t know how hard to push,” said Cassidy, who admitted the lights-to-flag run felt oddly simple after the ups and downs of Saturday’s race. “I felt comfortable and it felt strange to have a race as difficult and not have any big moments.”

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Sebastien Buemi took sixth in the sister Envision car, fending off Sam Bird in the other Jaguar TCS Racing entry to make doubly sure of teams’ honors.

Norman Nato (Nissan) and outgoing champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) were sandwiched between the front three and the squabbling Buemi and Bird, while Nico Mueller (ABT CUPRA) finished eighth.

Dan Ticktum, on home soil in the NIO 333, made a smart early move on Maserati MSG Racing’s Edo Mortara to break into the top 10 and steered to an eventual ninth, ahead of TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.

Envision Racing beat out the factory Jaguar TCS Racing team by 12 points in the teams’ title race, while Porsche customers Avalanche Andretti also edged the factory TAG Heuer Porsche team to third, by 10 points.

Dennis wound up 30 points clear of Cassidy in the drivers’ running, with Evans third and Wehrlein fourth.

Dennis, Cassidy at opposite ends of emotional spectrum after London title-decider

Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis had a number of his obstacles in the path to his first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in London. Among the challenges the British driver had to navigate were two red-flag periods, failed Attack Mode power boost …

Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis had a number of his obstacles in the path to his first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in London. Among the challenges the British driver had to navigate were two red-flag periods, failed Attack Mode power boost activations and a tense interlude with a Porsche factory driver, who failed to give him the space the Porsche-powered Andretti driver thought he’d get.

“It’s a huge relief,” Dennis said after finishing second to secure the title. “I didn’t expect it coming into today with Nick Cassidy on pole and Sebastien Buemi (both of Envision Racing) in third. By lap 8 I was like, ‘Yeah this is gonna be hard.’ Nick had taken both Attack Modes and Sebastien was the best wingman for Nick possible. But then it all fell apart for them and we managed to keep out of trouble.”

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In the late stages Dennis radioed his team that he was surprised at TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein declining to move out of the way for him despite pre-race conversations having given him the impression the works Porsche cars wouldn’t hinder him. Porsche supplies the Andretti team with its powertrains.

“That was a private conversation but ultimately, I felt like we had a bit of an agreement going into the race and it just obviously didn’t quite pan out the way I expected it,” Dennis said. “It was just one of those things.”

The start of Saturday’s race could hardly have gone better for Nick Cassidy or Envision Racing, but things soon unraveled after that. Nick Dungan/Motorsport Images

Another one of those things was the bizarre end to Cassidy’s title challenge, after starting up front with his Envision teammate Buemi in third. Buemi got a great start to emerge in second and help Cassidy pull a gap to the field, pushing Dennis down into third. However, the two Envision teammates ended up coming together, damaging Cassidy’s front wing and wrecking his championship hopes.

“I don’t know what to feel,” said a despondent Cassidy. “I just can’t believe the series of events. The start was a dream. There’s not too much I can add. Probably just take the moment to say well done to Jake [Dennis]. He had a really solid season and really deserved the championship. I think that we had all the ingredients and a potential to also get the job done, but there’s no would, could, should in motorsport — the results and kudos to him, so well done.”

Cassidy noted that he let Buemi pass later on in the race to help Envision.

“We’re also fighting for the teams’ world championship and I like to think I’m a good team player. Maybe I’m too good a team player,” he mused.

They get another chance in today’s second half of the doubleheader, in which Cassidy will start from the pole after beating Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans by just 0.01s. That earned three more points for Envision in its fight with Jaguar for the teams’ championship.

For Dennis, the second London race is an opportunity to get his own back on drivers who he felt took advantage of his need for caution Saturday.

“They can and they’d be stupid not to [exploit it], so they divebomb and take high-risk maneuvers even if they think realistically it’s not on but you’ll probably give space,” said the Andretti driver. “There were some moves which I had to allow to happen because I would have crashed, but I am looking forward to enjoying (Sunday).”

Cassidy on pole for London E-Prix 1 after penalty for Evans

There was good and and bad news for Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing in qualifying for today’s first race of the doubleheader in London that will settle the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship titles. Evans came out on top in a square fight …

There was good and and bad news for Mitch Evans and Jaguar TCS Racing in qualifying for today’s first race of the doubleheader in London that will settle the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship titles. Evans came out on top in a square fight against title rival Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) in the Duels final. But it’s Cassidy who’ll take to P1 on the grid after Evans was served with a five-place grid penalty for a collision in Rome.

Cassidy may head into Saturday’s race P1 on the grid but it’s Evans who takes the all-important three points for setting the fastest time in the Duels final. These points created a big swing in the teams’ standings, as Jaguar tries to chase both Envision and TAG Heuer Porsche for the title. Drivers’ championship leader Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) qualified third and will start on the front row for the race where he can clinch his first Formula E crown. After the penalty, Evans will start Round 15 from sixth on the grid.

Evans went against Cassidy in the finale, and with both drivers pushing to their absolute limits Cassidy appeared to kiss the wall on his lap. As a result, Evans emerged victorious, but it will be Cassidy who starts in that important P1 slot for the race in just a few hours. Lining up alongside him is Dennis, a copy of the Rome grid but in the opposite order. The drivers who started first and second in the two London races last year, finished first and second in the races too. Will history repeat itself?