New Zealander driver Nick Cassidy scored Citroën’s first Formula E victory, in the 150th race of its history, held in Mexico City.
Cassidy started from 13th place but once again read the various moments of the race very well, which, to be honest, was quite chaotic in the best Formula E style, with the presence of two Safety Cars.
Despite still having some Attack Mode left in his batteries, and consequently more power, Edoardo Mortara was unable to overtake the Kiwi in the final laps after the race was extended by two laps due to the interruptions.
The Swiss driver was very happy with second place, knowing in his heart that it wasn’t a day of victory.
Current champion Oliver Rowland managed to climb to the third step of the podium, his second of the season, also demonstrating great race vision and thanks to the great work of the Nissan engineers. From “sailing” around tenth place, staying out of trouble and avoiding various contacts, he managed to secure third place thanks to a clever use of Attack Mode.
Taylor Barnard in his DS Penske remained just outside the podium, having taken the lead at various points but having to give way to his much more experienced rivals. Indeed, Taylor told Electric Motor News: “Next time I’ll have to be more aggressive” (see the video here).
Jake Dennis (Andretti) and Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) crossed the finish line in fifth and sixth place; while Pepe Martí (Cupra Kiro) finished seventh, wiping out all penalties after the São Paulo incident, ahead of Jean-Éric Vergne in the other Citroën, Nico Mueller (Porsche), and Norman Nato (Nissan).
Nick Cassidy said:
It’s incredible! In front of all these fantastic fans, the atmosphere is unparalleled in Formula E, so winning here with Citroën was a dream start. I’m really happy for my team and I thank them for believing in me, for involving me in this project. I think we’re in for some really fantastic times, what a fantastic moment.
Until the last lap, I didn’t think we were doing well. I was happy with fourth place today, starting from thirteenth. My radio was saying ‘let’s try to get a good result,’ but my engineer always made the right decisions. This win is very important for him, for me, and for the whole team. It was the team, the car, the package, and the strategy that allowed us to win that race: you can’t win this race with a poor car.
On Thursday, I made a pact with JEV [Jean-Éric Vergne]: if I won, I would shave my head. There’s a statistic that whoever wins this race wins the championship, so I wasn’t going to give it up: if we win the championship, I’ll shave my head anyway!
Edoardo Mortara, No. 48, Mahindra Racing, said:
Nick [Cassidy] drove a great race. We started to struggle midway through the race, unfortunately he didn’t give us the opportunity to attack in the final laps. I’m very happy with second place and this podium, and to have scored important points.
Oliver Rowland, No. 23, Nissan Formula E Team, said:
I was one of the first to implement Attack Mode, so when the Full-Course Yellow came out and I had lost five positions, I thought my race was over. But we were really efficient and I kept my energy up. I was only able to be fast at the end, and the pace was crucial. I’m delighted to get on the podium. It’s a fantastic event, as always, that Formula E organizes here with this crowd: it’s a real pleasure to race here, and I hope the fans enjoyed it.
The next race will be on January 31st in Miami.
At the following links, you can read and/or download the official Final Standings, the Drivers’ Championship, the Teams’ Championship, and the Constructors’ Championship after two races.
4 – Manufacturers Championship
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Photo Credits: BMF – Mitsuaki Futori
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