Nick Cassidy is very much in the fight to win the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, after the New Zealander timed his move to the front to absolute perfection, to claim victory in the eighth round of the season in Berlin.
The Berlin E-Prix double-header is likely one that Cassidy will never forget, given how drastically different his two days in the German capital were. The first race day at the Tempelhof Airport Circuit was a complete disaster for the Envision Racing driver, after he ruled himself out of podium contention after breaking his front wing early on. Cassidy pitted for a new wing and rejoined the circuit at the back of the field; however, a Safety Car brought him back to the pack.
He remarkably fought his way through to fifth on Saturday; however, he knew that he lost a huge chance to put a significant dent in Pascal Wehrlein‘s championship lead. With that in mind, Cassidy was a man on a mission Sunday, with the Kiwi having taken a different strategy into the second race in Berlin. Whilst on Saturday he was ultra-aggressive, on Sunday he implemented a more controlled approach. This saw him make key moves at exactly the right moments, ensuring he was always in touch the leaders whilst also reserving energy.
He did this so well in fact, that with a handful of laps remaining he worked his way into the lead, where he had the pace and enough energy to post some quick lap times. Due to his excellent energy saving, nobody was really able to challenge him for the win in the final laps, meaning Cassidy crossed the line to claim his second Formula E win.
His victory saw the twenty-eight year-old close to within just four points of Wehrlein with eight rounds remaining, with Cassidy very much being a driver on the move. His consistency in recent races has been phenomenal, with him having claimed a podium in four of the last five races. Should he keep that form up in Monaco, then he could very possibly move into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
Cassidy’s stunning win was also Envision’s first of the Gen3 era, with the Silverstone-based side now putting real pressure on TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in the Constructors’ Championship. Ahead of the double-header, Porsche boasted a forty-one point lead, whereas now they sit just fifteen points ahead of Envision.
Cassidy is certainly loving his team and car at the moment, with the New Zealander admitting that it’s a “dream” to be racing for a team where he can “fight for the win” at every race.
“I knew that I would be in the fight for the win, I’ve been in the fight for the last five races. We had a great opportunity in the first race as well, but I made a mistake, and today we really made it count. The team have given me an opportunity to win pretty much every weekend and as a driver that’s a dream.”
