Kiwis with contrasting goals as E series hits streets of London
The Formula E FIA World Series rolls into London this weekend with New Zealanders Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy looking for different things.
Evans will want to stop his slide down the points table after a disappointing two races in New York two weeks ago, when he came away with no points due to a mechanical failure and a crash in the two races. He is eighth, 21 points behind series leader and teammate Sam Bird.
Cassidy, in contrast, has rocketed up the championship table after fourth and second-place finishes in New York. He is 11 points behind Bird.
“I had dinner with Antonio [Felix Da Costa] earlier in the week [before the race] and he said, ‘look, this is how you drive a Formula E car’ and I took it on board,” said Cassidy.
“I think the speed has been there more or less all year and I needed to put the days together. I’ve still got a lot to learn but I think I’m getting better at it.”
It was only a matter of time before Cassidy came good in his rookie season in Formula E. Cassidy was a star in Japan, winning the highlycompetitive open wheel Super Formula series, as well as the closelycontested Super GT championship and the Japanese F3 title.
It comes as no surprise he’s at the front of the field now having come to grips with the qualifying structure and the car itself. Look for the Kiwi to be a consistent challenger to the more experienced electric racers at the sharp end of the 2021 season.
“I’m looking forward to the London race. It’s obviously the team’s home race and it’s a lot about our guys and girls as well, so should be an exciting one.
“I think we have some real momentum going but the next few races are for sure going to be really tough. With regards to the circuit, I don’t really know what to expect.”
Evans, meanwhile, is ruing his misfortune in recent races. If there is a silver lining to his lack of results, it’s that he drops back to qualifying group two, so now has an advantage in getting a good race start position.
“This weekend in London is incredibly important for the team,” said Evans. “Having been a part of Jaguar Racing since we joined the championship back in 2016, I know exactly what this means to everyone involved.
“Seventeen years have passed since the team last raced in the United Kingdom and I am determined to make this weekend a success on the track. I’ve dropped out of group one in qualifying and I’ll be using this to fuel my hunger to score points and podiums for the team.”
Both New Zealanders are still within a shot of winning their first world title with less than a race win (25 points) covering the top 11 drivers.
The inner London street track is 2.2km long with 22 corners. Some parts of the track are quite narrow, so there’ll be the odd crash, and racing
will not be for the faint-hearted.