Dominant performance by the New Zealand driver, who pulled over 7 seconds clear of Pascal Wehrlein’s Porsche.
Nick Cassidy returns to victory in Formula E! The New Zealand driver hadn’t stood on the top step of the podium since the 2024 Berlin E-Prix, held over a year ago. A redemption also for Jaguar, by far the team that struggled the most with the transition from Gen 3 to Gen 3 EVO.
Behind him, Porsche delivered a solid performance, with Pascal Wehrlein finishing second and Antonio Felix Da Costa in third. The reigning World Champion tried to close the gap to Cassidy in the early laps using Attack Mode, but was unable to launch a proper attack.
Jake Hughes finishes in fourth place for Maserati, with the Shanghai circuit proving to be a “friendly” one for the British driver, as it was here last season that he claimed his first Formula E podium with NEOM McLaren. A solid fifth place for Jean-Eric Vergne, who heads home with a good haul of points after securing second place yesterday.
Rounding out the points-paying positions were Nico Mueller, Vandoorne, Frijns, Di Grassi, and Barnard, who staged a furious comeback in the final laps. Championship leader Oliver Rowland finished only in thirteenth place, though he’s well aware of the massive gap he still holds over his rivals.
In fact, despite recording his second zero of the season, Rowland can still manage a commanding 68-point lead over his closest challenger, now Pascal Wehrlein, with just five races remaining. Antonio Felix Da Costa moves up to third place, overtaking Taylor Barnard. Nick Cassidy climbs to seventh in the standings, as he looks to salvage what has been a challenging season so far for Jaguar.
Race 2 China E-Prix: the race report
The race, which started after a one-and-a-half-hour delay due to the schedule change from yesterday, initially featured the Safety Car, which completed 7 laps to allow the drivers to adapt to the track conditions.
At the restart, the first Attack Modes came into play immediately, with the top three on the grid—Cassidy, Da Costa, and Wehrlein—plus Rowland in seventeenth, all opting to use the extra power straight away to avoid penalties at the end of the race. However, the two Porsche drivers followed different strategies, with Wehrlein taking two more minutes of Attack Mode than Cassidy and Da Costa. The German team then ordered a position swap between the two teammates.
The first mistake of the race was made by Nyck De Vries, who lost control of his Mahindra at turn 6. The Dutch driver was then very skillful in quickly recovering his car, losing only four positions.
The first overtakes of the race have arrived: great job by Nico Mueller, who climbs from tenth to sixth, while Di Grassi slips to eighth after taking an Attack Mode at the wrong moment.
By lap 15, Nick Cassidy leads the race with a 5.7-second margin over Pascal Wehrlein, who in turn holds more than a two-second lead over Da Costa. The positions at the front have thus spread out.
The first retirement of the race: yesterday’s Race 1 winner, Maximilian Günther, is forced to park his DS Penske due to an electrical issue. Despite this, Race Control chose not to deploy the Safety Car, which would have shaken up the battle at the front.
On lap 22, Nick Cassidy takes his second and final Attack Mode, securing himself against any potential penalties. Further back, Taylor Barnard moves up to twelfth position using Attack Mode, although he’s not taking full advantage of Rowland’s quiet race to close the gap in the championship standings.
Taylor Barnard completes his comeback by passing Zane Maloney and entering the points zone in tenth place. Meanwhile, errors pile up at turn 6, with both Sam Bird and Stoffel Vandoorne spinning out. The two experienced drivers were both skillful and lucky to avoid hitting the barriers or getting stuck in the gravel.
Nothing changes until the checkered flag. Nick Cassidy’s Jaguar returns to victory, ahead of the two Porsches driven by Wehrlein and Da Costa. Meanwhile, championship leader Oliver Rowland finishes outside the points in thirteenth place.
PHOTO: ABB FIA Formula E, Nick Cassidy, NEOM McLaren.
