Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy has spoken of the amount of competition both he and his team are facing with three rounds of the FIA Formula E World Championship completed.
The Kiwi, who won the second race of the Diriyah double-header and has also been on the podium in every other round leaving him top of the Drivers’ Championship, has spoken highly of the number of teams that he feels has shown plenty of pace, telling Motorsport Week: “It’s a bit of a coincidence that we’ve had three really good races, but it’s not many – there’s still 13 races to go and you need a good run of 10 races or so to make a good campaign.
“I think it’s been under-spoken how strong the Nissan and DS cars are – Rowland’s pace has been good and Fenestraz’s as well; Hughes and Bird [NEOM McLaren] have been super-strong, and we’ve seen it with Gunther [Maserati MSG Racing] as well.
“He dominated Jakarta [2023] and in Mexico he was very strong, it essentially means that’s eight cars, together with Jaguar and Porsche that’s 16 cars.
“We’re going to have some weekends where it will be difficult to finish in the top 10.
“What’s crazy about Formula E right now is how competitive it is, so I’m a little bit surprised we’re only reading about Jaguar and Porsche in the media!”
Asked whether he feels that season 10 could be the most competitive yet, Cassidy said: “100% – Diriyah was a good indication of that, the two qualifying sessions.
“I don’t believe that’s randomness and it’s unlucky – I think it just shows how competitive it is and how you have to get everything right.
“I’m expecting some days I will qualify in 18th or 16th, because it’s going to be hard to be that good in every situation.
“Those days are going to come, we just have to limit them and so we have to optimise whatever we can because the field is so close.”
A recent report by Blackbook Motorsport has shown that television ratings in both America and the UK have risen, with US figures of the Mexico E-Prix peaking at over double that of the Las Vegas Grand Prix last year. Unaware of such a positive spike, Cassidy said: “In terms of the numbers, it’s not my field and I haven’t looked into that, but what I can say is I love the sport.
“When we have good races, the races are incredibly good, and I want the sport to grow and be successful.
“I think we have a lot of good drivers – I’m not trying to pump myself but there are lots of guys who have had great careers and are super-strong; a lot of great manufacturers and teams, and at the end of the day, I’d love for it to be really followed and succeed.
“Hearing those reports and numbers can only be a positive. I hope we can continue on that path.”
After the long-awaited return to racing in Sao Paolo in just over three weeks, Formula E will make its first visit to Japan, with a brand new street circuit in Tokyo, just one week before Formula 1 races in Suzuka. Does Cassidy feel there is excitement about the prospect of a new race in a new country? “Yeah it is, and to be in a city like Tokyo is going to be huge.
“If you look at the population of Tokyo, and also the distance between Tokyo and Suzuka, it doesn’t worry me about the proximity of the F1 calendar in terms of dates, with our races being only a weekend apart, I think there’s plenty of opportunity for both races to be there.
“It’s going to be a really cool thing for Formula E to be there, to try and access a new audience and show-off our product, and hopefully the event is a great success.”
