Kiwi star Nick Cassidy delivered a landmark moment in Formula E qualifying, securing pole position in Madrid and handing Citroën Racing its first-ever pole in the all-electric championship.
At the Madrid E-Prix, Cassidy’s blistering form continued as he stormed to his eighth career pole, earning maximum qualifying points and vaulting himself into third in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
Qualifying: Cassidy delivers under pressure
Cassidy’s path to pole was anything but straightforward in a fiercely contested duel format.
In the final showdown, the Kiwi faced Nyck de Vries, but it was Cassidy who held his nerve to clinch top spot—marking both his and Citroën’s maiden Julius Baer Pole Position together.
Earlier in the knockout stages, Cassidy benefited from a costly error by Norman Nato in the semi-finals, after the Nissan driver ran wide into the gravel. In the quarter-finals, Cassidy had already shown his pace by eliminating Edoardo Mortara, ending Mortara’s hopes of a third consecutive pole.
The duels also saw drama elsewhere, with Oliver Rowland spinning out of contention and Pascal Wehrlein losing significant time after an early mistake.
Cassidy had progressed from Group B, where Norman Nato topped the session, while Group A honours went to de Vries ahead of Antonio Felix da Costa.
Having previously converted his last pole into victory in wet conditions in Shanghai, Cassidy looked well-placed to repeat the feat in Spain.
Race: Jaguar one-two in Madrid thriller as Cassidy’s hopes unravel
While qualifying belonged to Cassidy, the race told a very different story.
It was Antonio Felix da Costa who executed a flawless strategy to claim victory, leading home teammate Mitch Evans in a dominant one-two for Jaguar TCS Racing.
The Madrid crowd at the Circuito de Madrid Jarama were treated to a spectacular contest, with the top four cars separated by less than a second at the flag.
Da Costa’s race-winning move came through the Pit Boost phase, diving into the pits early and perfectly timing his attack mode deployment to regain control of the race. From there, he withstood relentless late pressure to secure back-to-back victories.
Evans emerged as his closest challenger, slicing his way through the field in the closing laps and briefly threatening for the win. The Kiwi looked poised to strike but ultimately had to settle for second as da Costa defended expertly.
Behind them, Wehrlein edged out Dan Ticktum for third after a frantic late-race scrap, with Ticktum impressing on home soil for Cupra Kiro.
Cassidy’s race unravels after early promise
Starting from pole, Cassidy initially controlled proceedings, leading the field into Turn 1 ahead of de Vries and da Costa.
However, the race quickly turned chaotic. Early contact between de Vries and Wehrlein led to damage and penalties, while the strategy and attack mode phases dramatically shuffled the order.
Cassidy remained in the fight through the opening stages, battling at the front as multiple drivers briefly cycled into the lead—including Felipe Drugovich and local favourite Pepe Martí.
But as the Pit Boost stopped and energy strategies unfolded, Cassidy began to slip down the order. Despite staying in contention through the mid-race phases, he ultimately fell out of the points-paying positions.
By the chequered flag, the Kiwi endured a frustrating drop to 17th place—an unfortunate outcome after such a commanding qualifying performance.
The result sees Wehrlein move to the top of the Drivers’ Championship, while da Costa’s victory lifts him into fourth.
Jaguar’s one-two finish significantly closes the gap to Porsche in both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ standings, setting up a tight fight heading into the next round.
Formula E now heads to Berlin for Rounds 7 and 8, where Cassidy will be aiming to convert raw pace into a complete race result.
Header Image: Malcolm Griffiths/LAT Images
