Kiwi Formula E pairing Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy are eagerly looking forward to the challenge of Monaco for the latest round of the world championship.
This weekend marks the first time the all-electric category will be racing on the complete Monaco Grand Prix circuit, albeit with some minor changes.
For Evans, Monaco has previously been a happy hunting ground.
He claimed three podiums there during his GP2 tenure, though he is yet to stand on the rostrum since joining Formula E.
The last two races at Valencia were disastrous for the Kiwi.
He crashed out in race one before slumping to a point-less 15th place in race three.
He says he plans to use his Valencia pain as motivation to put in a strong performance at Monaco.
“It’s always a great feeling to be back racing around the streets of Monaco and given this is where I live, it is an extra special race for me,” he said.
“We’ve managed to score points here in the past and knowing what results we’ve achieved this season, we will be pushing to have a strong race and putting the team back into the points again.”
The other Kiwi in the field is set for an even mightier challenge.
Cassidy has never raced at Monaco, period. That is despite being a resident of the principality.
Cassidy’s momentum has slowly been swinging towards a big result. But, unfortunately, rotten luck in the past few races have cost the Envision Virgin driver a shot at the podium.
His score sheet perhaps does not reflect the season Cassidy has had. He undoubtedly deserves to be much higher in the championship standings.
Looking ahead to this weekend, he says qualifying and one-lap pace will be his primary focus.
“Unlike many of the drivers in the field, I’ve never competed on Monaco before so it will be a new experience for me,” he said.
“Overtaking is tricky, although not impossible.
“We all know the importance of qualifying, and I feel my one-lap pace is good, so hopefully, we can hook it together and build from there.
“For sure, it’s going to be a great experience entering the tunnel for the first time.
“We’re just going to get everything out of our day that we can, and then ultimately who knows how competitive we’re going to be.”
The Monaco E-Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sport, with TV times below.
| Session | Time |
|---|---|
| FP1 | Sat 6 pm |
| FP2 | Sat 8.15 pm |
| Q | Sat 10 pm |
| R | Sun 2 am |