Nick Cassidy has admitted that customer team drivers “are not at the same level” as drivers of manufacturer teams, something which “opened” his eyes to “how important” getting a manufacturer seat is in the Gen3 era of Formula E.
That’s exactly what the 2023 Vice-Champion has done for season 10, after leaving Envision Racing for Jaguar TCS Racing. Envision are, of course, Jaguar’s customer outfit, who actually beat the British manufacturer to the season nine Teams’ Championship.
Whilst Cassidy used the same powertrain as Mitch Evans and Sam Bird in season nine, he admits that he had less testing time to gain experience of Jaguar’s Gen3 machinery. He recalls how the season-opener in Mexico City was the “first time” he understood what the actual race would be like, due to how few opportunities he had as a customer team driver during the off-season.
It was in Mexico that it dawned on him just how critical it is to race for one of the manufacturers, who are Jaguar, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, DS Penske, Nissan Formula E Team, Mahindra Racing and the ERT Formula E Team.
“The E-Prix in Mexico was the first time I had an idea of what the race would be like,” Cassidy told Business Insider Mexico.
“Compared to the drivers of teams that are manufacturers, you are not at the same level. “That was something that opened my eyes to how important it is to be in a manufacturer team when there are new generations in Formula E.”
With racing for a customer side being a disadvantage then in terms of the fewer opportunities available, Cassidy jumped at the chance to join the factory Jaguar squad for 2024. His move has been made easier given that he worked with some of the personnel whilst at Envision, due to the team, as mentioned, being a customer of the Coventry-based outfit.
Whilst it’s incredibly early days, Cassidy switching to Jaguar appears to have been a masterful move, as he was third-quickest during the recent pre-season test in Valencia. He’s already enjoying working with his new side and is excited for the “new challenge” ahead.
“Having the opportunity to compete with a team like Jaguar was too good to pass up,” Cassidy admitted.
“(So far) it’s been nice, even though it’s still pre-season. Let’s see how the season starts. I already know part of the team because I competed with their client team last year. I was able to see how they worked and their experience. I was very excitedly looking forward to this new challenge and being able to be part of this.”
With Cassidy having been third fastest in testing and teammate Mitch Evans having been quickest, the factory Jaguar squad are the clear favourites for both season 10 titles. It does seem that 2024 will be Cassidy’s best chance yet at becoming Formula E World Champion, especially as Jaguar’s Gen3 powertrain was the strongest across season nine.
However, Cassidy is actually expecting season 10 to be “incredibly close”, with him stating that the field is “getting closer and closer”.
“ The grid is getting closer and closer, in terms of performance,” said Cassidy. “The competition is going to be incredibly close because everyone has past races as a reference for experience and strategy, while last year everything was new.”
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