Nick Cassidy returned to the Monaco podium with a superb recovery drive in challenging conditions overnight, securing his first top-three finish of Season 11 in the FIA Formula E World Championship.
Starting 14th on the grid after a tricky wet qualifying session, the Jaguar TCS Racing driver timed his Attack Modes to perfection and showed strong pace and patience to climb through the field and finish third in a thrilling 30-lap affair.
“To be on the Monaco podium for the third year in a row is a great feeling, especially considering our start to the year,” Cassidy said post-race. “We need to be fighting consistently for wins and podiums, and I hope we’ve turned a corner.”
“We had strong pace in the I-TYPE 7 in the dry FP3 today and, while wet qualifying wasn’t good, in the wet race I was able to fight through the field thanks also to great strategy and car speed. We’ll look to take this momentum to Tokyo.”
Cassidy made up 11 places in total, negotiating the slick streets and a brief Safety Car period with calm execution. The Kiwi delayed his first two-minute Attack Mode until lap nine, before deploying his six-minute boost on lap 21 to carve into the lead group. He then held off a late charge from Porsche’s António Félix da Costa to seal the final step on the podium.
The race was won by Sébastien Buemi of Envision Racing, who converted pole into victory in style. Oliver Rowland (Nissan) continued his strong form with second place, rounding out a competitive top three that featured three different teams.
Earlier in the day, both Jaguar TCS Racing cars showed promise in Free Practice 3, with Mitch Evans going quickest and Cassidy also inside the top six. But with rain falling for qualifying and limited time to fully switch to a wet set-up, both Kiwis were eliminated in the group stages.
Evans started 17th but looked strong early, making up four positions and retaining both Attack Modes when the Safety Car was deployed. The team opted to roll the dice by bringing him in under yellow for a tyre pressure change suited to improving conditions — a strategy that ultimately didn’t pay off. He slipped back down the order to finish outside the points.
“With where we started on the grid and the changeable conditions, we opted for a different tyre strategy during the safety car, but it wasn’t the right call,” said Evans.
“I was far more comfortable with the race prior to boxing than in the wet qualifying so there is something there. We’re working hard and are at times making progress — we’ll analyse the data from this weekend and look to bounce back in Tokyo in two weeks.”
The result marks a welcome turning point for Cassidy and the Jaguar squad after a challenging start to the season. Following Monaco, both Kiwis sit tied on 25 points in the Drivers’ Championship, with Evans 12th and Cassidy 13th on countback.
Formula E returns on May 18 with Round 9 in Tokyo, where both New Zealanders will be looking to build on the momentum gained in Monaco.
| Pos. | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastian Buemi | Envision |
| 2 | Oliver Rowland | Nissan |
| 3 | Nick Cassidy | Jaguar |
| 4 | Antonio Felix da Costa | Porsche |
| 5 | Nyck de Vries | Mahindra |
| 6 | Jean-Eric Vergne | DS Penske |
| 7 | Pascal Wehrlein | Porsche |
| 8 | Maximilian Günther | DS Penske |
| 9 | Jake Dennis | Andretti |
| 10 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Maserati |
| 11 | Robin Frijns | Envision |
| 12 | Edoardo Mortara | Mahindra |
| 13 | Norman Nato | Nissan |
| 14 | Zane Maloney | Lola Yamaha ABT |
| 15 | Dan Ticktum | Cupra Kiro |
| 16 | Taylor Barnard | McLaren |
| 17 | Jake Hughes | Maserati |
| 18 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar |
| 19 | David Beckmann | Cupra Kiro |
| 20 | Sam Bird | McLaren |
| DNF | Nico Müller | Andretti |
| DNF | Lucas di Grassi | Lola Yamaha ABT |
Header Image: Jaguar TCS Racing
