Kiwi takes out E-Prix
Nick Cassidy has won the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix for Jaguar TCS Racing in just his third race for the team.
The 29-year-old has now achieved a hat-trick of podiums since he joined the British team at the start of the season.
The Kiwi lined up third on the grid after a successful qualifying session saw him secure a place in the semi-final of the duels.
After holding position at the start of the race, by the fifth lap Cassidy had moved into the lead after his podium opponents took their first attack-mode decisions.
For the next phase of the race, the pace was frenetic at the front with the New Zealander and Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns pulling out a lead on the rest of the pack.
A crucial moment was Cassidy building a sufficient gap for his second attack mode, which meant he could come out ahead of Frijns and maintain the lead.
In the final few laps, Cassidy and the team delivered an efficient energy strategy to ensure Frijns was unable to make a move. On the last lap and under the lights, the former secured the fastest lap to add one more point to his tally for round three.
Fellow Kiwi Mitch Evans rounded out the points with a determined 10th-place finish after starting 13th on the grid.
In the 36-lap energy-rich race, Evans looked for opportunities to move his way through the field with his Jaguar I-Type 6. Limited overtaking chances on the Saudi Arabian circuit and being in the middle of the pack proved challenging, but Evans and the team worked together to get the Kiwi up into the final points position.
Despite crossing the finish line in 11th, an FIA investigation on Andretti’s Jake Dennis for overtaking under a yellow flag promoted Evans back on spot.
With the dust now settled at the Diriyah, Jaguar TCS Racing remain top of the teams’ standings in the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with a 31-point lead.
Cassidy’s performance has elevated him to the top of the drivers’ standings with 57 points while Evans remains in fifth with 21. Round four is in Brazil on March 16.
“I feel unreal,” says Cassidy. “It’s a dream start to the season. The team has been perfect and everyone at Jaguar TCS Racing has been working so hard to give me such a quick and efficient race car.
“Three podiums in three races and one of them being a win is such a great feeling. This is Formula E though. You don’t know what’s going to happen from one race to the next, so we’ll keep pushing into Sao Paulo.”
Evans adds: “We’ve been one of the quickest cars since we got to Mexico and Nick has done a great job with consistency, so full credit to him for the win. On my side, the results don’t reflect our pace, so I’m hoping for a change in momentum.
“With more than six weeks until we race again, we will spend time as a team perfecting our preparation, so we’ll be ready for the fight at the São Paulo E-Prix.”
