Formula E roared back to life at the ExCeL Circuit in London for the final double-header of the 2024/2025 season, and the opening race delivered a thriller packed with contact, strategy, and Kiwi brilliance.
The event also marked the end of an era for Jaguar TCS Racing, with both driver and leadership changes looming; most notably, it was announced earlier in the week that Nick Cassidy will depart the team after the season concludes.
This weekend marks Cassidy’s final outing with Jaguar TCS Racing before moving elsewhere in the paddock for 2025/2026.
With Team Director James Barclay also stepping down after almost a decade at the helm, emotions were high heading into the penultimate round of the year.
A Sentimental Weekend for Jaguar
Barclay, a mainstay in the Formula E paddock and Managing Director of JLR Motorsport, has overseen Jaguar’s transformation into a powerhouse team.
London marks his final race weekend as TP before he transitions to head McLaren’s endurance racing program in September. It was fitting, then, that Cassidy and Mitch Evans gave the outgoing leader a performance to remember with one more race still to come Monday morning (NZST)
Evans is widely expected to remain with the team next season, albeit under new leadership. And if Sunday’s action is anything to go by, the Kiwi duo were determined to leave their mark on this chapter of Jaguar’s story.
Practice Sessions:
Free Practice 1 saw Cassidy start strong, placing third overall with a 1:08.026s lap, just three-tenths behind pacesetter Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche).
Evans finished eighth, two-tenths behind Cassidy and five-tenths off the top time, in what was a closely contested session.
In Free Practice 2, the tables turned. Evans surged to P2, just 0.043s behind session leader Nyck De Vries (Mahindra), while Cassidy languished in 19th, 1.294s off the pace.
His lap time was notably slower than FP1, suggesting early setup issues with the car.
Qualifying Duels:
Both Kiwis advanced to the quarter-final duels after strong group performances. Cassidy topped Group A with a 1:08.955 lap, while Evans slotted in second in Group B behind Wehrlein.
However, Cassidy’s run came to an abrupt halt in the quarters, losing to Dan Ticktum by just 0.017s despite being the fan-favourite with 66% of the predictor vote.
Evans, meanwhile, defeated Jake Hughes comfortably and then pulled off a stunning upset over Wehrlein in the semis, winning by 0.034s.
In the final duel, Evans faced De Vries and laid down a blistering 1:07.205s lap to snatch pole position by 0.174s, delivering a statement performance in front of Jaguar’s home crowd.
Race Recap – Round 15:
The 37-lap penultimate race of the season began with Evans leading the field from pole. Cassidy, who started P5, quickly jumped Ticktum to slot into fourth behind De Vries and Wehrlein.
Chaos erupted early. At Turn 1, a clash between Maximilian Günther, Jake Hughes, and Edoardo Mortara resulted in terminal suspension damage for both Günther and Hughes, forcing them to retire.
More contact ensued at Turn 2, and then a pile-up at Turn 3, involving Günther, both McLarens (Taylor Barnard and Sam Bird), and Zane Maloney, prompted a full safety car.
When the race resumed on Lap 4, Evans retained control. On Lap 11, Cassidy radioed in: “This is the best my car has been all year,” as he continued to shadow the leaders from fourth, just 1.5 seconds behind.
Cassidy pitted on Lap 18, setting up a strategic masterstroke. De Vries then activated attack mode and passed Evans for the lead, with Wehrlein following suit a lap later. Evans dropped to third as strategy battles intensified.
Evans activated attack mode on Lap 20, rejoining the chase with an advantage over rivals whose attack boosts were already wearing off.
De Vries took his final attack mode on Lap 22, then pitted on Lap 25, rejoining 2.5 seconds ahead of Cassidy, but crucially, Cassidy still had both attack modes remaining.
Cassidy activated his first attack mode on Lap 26 and was soon all over De Vries, making the decisive pass into Turn 1 on Lap 28 to take the lead. From there, the Kiwi didn’t look back.
However, heartbreak struck Evans just a few laps later. While in seventh and climbing, he was spun around by Ticktum at the penultimate corner on Lap 31, tumbling down the order to P14.
Ticktum would later crash out at Turn 9, bringing out the second safety car, and nullifying the attack mode advantage for Evans and several others.
Cassidy’s 3-second lead evaporated under safety car conditions, setting up a tense three-lap sprint to the finish.
The Final Laps:
Cassidy fended off De Vries on the Lap 35 restart and then pulled away once more, extending the gap to 1.5 seconds in the closing laps.
Despite a yellow flag due to Nico Mueller crashing in 11th, Cassidy held his nerve to cross the line first, his second consecutive win, his 10th victory in Formula E and an emotional one at Jaguar’s home race.
“It’s unbelievable! To win here at home for Jaguar and our team in front of a lot of our friends, family and partners who are here today, is incredible,” Cassidy said.
“I wasn’t the happiest guy this morning, but that was for a reason, and I knew we had good potential in the car.
“In that race, I was able to show that, which is pretty cool. To be honest, it was a little bit fluid, a huge shout-out to my strategy team.
“I was really scared about not coming out of the pits after pit boost in the lead of that second group, and it was tight, but I was able to hang on there, and that’s what made the race. It meant that we could do the attack modes later, which was really powerful.”
Final Results and Championship Implications:
Cassidy’s victory marks Jaguar’s third consecutive win following their Berlin double-header success, making them only the fifth team in Formula E history to pull off such a streak. It also gave Barclay the perfect parting gift, silverware in his final race weekend.
De Vries finished second, while Wehrlein took third and the fastest lap, valuable points in Porsche’s hunt for the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles. Vandoorne (Maserati) claimed P4, Dennis (Andretti) P5, and Vergne (DS Penske) P6.
Evans salvaged a solitary point by recovering to 10th, an admirable comeback after being punted off track.
In the championship standings, Cassidy leapfrogs to third overall, closing the season gap to newly-crowned champion Oliver Rowland (who finished 11th) and runner-up Wehrlein.
Porsche now leads Nissan by 39 points in the Teams’ Championship (367 to 328) with just one race left, while the Manufacturers’ standings mirror that advantage (367 to 338).
Cassidy’s stunning drive in London not only reinforces his elite status in Formula E but also provides Jaguar with a final celebration under the leadership of James Barclay. As the team faces a new era, the stage is set for Monday’s finale (NZST), and possibly, one final Kiwi triumph.
Stay tuned for Round 16.
Header Image: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Images for Formula E
