Four wins in five races was not how most pictured the end of this season for Jaguar in Formula E. Although proceedings started with a high, after an epic last-to-first charge up the grid for Mitch Evans in Sao Paulo, things took a turn for the reigning teams’ champion and a run of disappointing results followed. That was until Nick Cassidy picked up a podium for third in Monaco, before reuniting with the top step of the podium after converting pole position into a win across a wet Shanghai E-Prix.
Last time out in Berlin provided yet more silverware for the team, with two victories across the two races becoming a truly defining point in the squad’s season. A triumph apiece for Evans and Cassidy added a huge haul of points to Jaguar’s tally, and the winning feeling continued into the team’s home race in London.
Across Saturday, Evans made it five consecutive Jaguar-powered pole positions in London and set himself up perfectly for the afternoon’s race. The unique half indoor-outdoor circuit around the city’s ExCel arena isn’t as peloton-esque as we’ve seen at other venues this season but, despite his best efforts, Evans wasn’t able to hold the position until the chequered flag.
Evans maintained the lead once the race got under way – which also featured an early safety car period for an incident involving the DS Penske of Maximilian Guenther – and was able to hold back a snappy Nyck de Vries, who was chomping at Evans’ heels in the Mahindra.
The order of the pack didn’t shuffle much, aside from Cassidy gaining a place to sit in fourth, as the Pit Boost window opened for most of the grid on lap 17 of 38. This was the final race of the 2024-25 season to include this newly-introduced strategy element, with de Vries later calling for all races to include the mandatory energy boost going forward.
On the same lap, de Vries and Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein took the first of their two Attack Mode activations and both opted for four minutes while Cassidy headed in for his Pit Boost. As the first of the frontrunners to do so, he benefited from the undercut, with Porsche also sending in Antonio Felix da Costa to cover the Jaguar driver.
While it was all smiles for Cassidy, polesitter Evans tumbled down the order
Photo by: Oscar Lumley / LAT Images via Getty Images
While Cassidy charged up outside the garage, de Vries made a move on Evans and snatched the lead with the benefit of Attack Mode – renamed this race weekend in collaboration with Marvel’s new Fantastic Four movie. Wehrlein quickly did the same to leave Evans in third, as Cassidy emerged from his stop in 12th and as the leader of all those that had already taken their Pit Boost.
Evans took his Attack, also going for four minutes like most of those around him, but struggled to gain the places back. Meanwhile, Cassidy was doing a stellar job to keep the eight drivers behind him – all with 350kW and four-wheel drive – at bay.
On lap 25, all of the top five peeled into the pits for their stops, but most rejoined in traffic, including Evans – who had dropped down into eighth. Things only got worse for the Kiwi, as he was also tapped by Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum from behind, which sent him into a spin.
Meanwhile, Cassidy’s strategy paid off and he soon found himself in third with all the best cards in his hand. Race leader Robin Frijns was still to make his Pit Boost stop for Envision, and de Vries ahead had used both his Attack Modes while Cassidy still had two to play with and an additional 2% energy.
“I normally drink coffee as I love caffeine, but I haven’t needed that today. I’ve been shaking. Just coming back here, racing here again after last year” Nick Cassidy
Also opting for the equal four minutes split of Attack, Cassidy hunted down de Vries with 10 laps to go and made a move for the lead down the start-finish straight and, from there, the victory was pretty much a done deal.
A safety car was deployed with five laps remaining to rescue Ticktum, who found himself wedged into the barrier after locking up, closing Cassiy’s gap ahead while he was in his second Attack, but nothing could get in the way of his third victory this season.
“It was really very special today,” Cassidy said about the win, also describing it as “genuinely at the top” of his victories for the Jaguar team.
“The team was unbelievable and very proud to put in a performance like that,” he added.
London was not a happy hunting ground for Cassidy last year when he was in the title fight
Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
Bad memories lie at the ExCel for Cassidy, having lost the drivers’ championship here last season after being taken out in the final race by da Costa, and it sounds like that negativity continued into the present day with the race winner confessing to feeling very anxious all of Saturday.
“Coming into this building this weekend, I thought everything was fine but today I haven’t eaten,” he admitted. “I feel anxious, I feel weird, probably the grumpiest guy inside my team, it just feels like London always kicks me in the nuts somehow and I wasn’t expecting it.
“I normally drink coffee as I love caffeine, but I haven’t needed that today. I’ve been shaking. Just coming back here, racing here again after last year.”
Cassidy announced ahead of the weekend that he would be departing Jaguar after London, having completed two seasons with the team alongside Evans. He’s not the only one leaving either, as Sunday marks the last race for team principal James Barclay, who is moving to head up McLaren’s new World Endurance Championship adventure.
When asked if the tough run of results at the start of the season were the influence behind his decision to step away from Jaguar, Cassidy stressed that there were many factors.
“The decision [to leave] took a long time,” Cassidy continued. “I spoke through the decision with Jaguar a lot as well, almost presenting them the options of my career and what I was looking to achieve and what I’m wanting to do. In the end, I kind of wanted to drive for everyone. I don’t want to leave the guys that I’m with. I really enjoy it. The relationship I think we have is really strong, to the point where I am strong with my comments, but I’m never strong with someone I don’t really know or don’t trust. It’s hard to discuss too much now about the reasons why, and more will come out in the future on what’s happening, but it’s tough.”
It’s not yet known publicly who will replace Cassidy at Jaguar, but there’s talks that it could be da Costa who would step away from Porsche. Da Costa was quick to congratulate Cassidy on his victory, with the race winner overheard telling his potential replacement “it’s ready” before the 2019-20 champ quipped back with “I’ve thought about it”.
It’s understood an official decision will be decided and announced in several weeks’ time but, before then, there is one more chance for Cassidy to add further gloss to Jaguar’s strong finish to the current campaign.
Cassidy banished last year’s disappointment to continue the Big Cat’s late-season superiority
Photo by: Andreas Beil
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