Nick Cassidy took a dominant victory in Sunday’s Shanghai E-Prix, winning by over seven seconds.
With the race delayed due to heavy rain, the drivers and teams faced a wait. They had to get the second race of the triple header underway.
Qualifying was abandoned after Group A, leaving Nick Cassidy’s Jaguar in pole position. Antonio Felix Da Costa joined him on the front row. Championship contenders Taylor Barnard and Oliver Rowland started back in 14th and 17th, respectively.
Following a final check from Race Control, the cars lined up on the grid over an hour after the original start time.
Shanghai E-Prix gets underway
Despite the rain stopping, the decision was taken to start the race from behind the Safety Car. A soaked track reset the playing field and drivers gingerly warmed up their tyres.
The drivers held formation behind the Safety Car for 7 laps, the Race Control opting for a rolling start. Nick Cassidy led the way into Turn 1, with Da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein following him behind.
There were no do or die moves into Turn 1, but Nick Cassidy and both Porsches opted to taken their first Attack Mode, with Jake Hughes, Jean Eric Vergne, Nyck De Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne and Maximilian Günther joining them.
Different tactics were now in play. The top two took 90 seconds, while all behind took multiple minutes. The order at at the top remained unchanged however.
Porsche opted to swap their drivers on lap 9, with 90 seconds of Attack Mode remaining. He set off after Cassidy’s Jaguar. He caught the Kiwi, but ran out of extra energy and would be forced to wait.
Nyck de Vries had a dramatic incident after aquaplaning off the circuit, but only lost three places when he rejoined.
Attack Mode deployments lead to battles
Jean Eric Vergne and Günther moved up to 5th and 6th, disposing of Lucas Di Grassi who had started to go backwards.
Drivers struggled in the wet conditions. David Beckmann pirouetted around, while Jake Dennis and Wehrlein both ran wide.
Further back, the championship contenders were struggling to progress. Rowland and Barnard were now 14th and 16th, and struggling to make any real progress.
By lap 13, the top six all had one Attack Mode remaining, but differing levels of energy. Cassidy had six minutes, while Weherlien had four. Everyone below P16 had two Attack Modes remaining, hoping foe a late Safety Car.
The field settled i into a rhythm, all plotting the best moment to strike. Di Grassi passed Stoffel Vandoorne, while De Vries continued his recovery drive, moving into 10th.
Rain began to fall again, increasing in intensity on every lap as the drivers adapted to the deteriorating conditions on track.
Di Grassi took his second Attack Mode and set off in search of the top six. He would have a hard task catching Cassidy, who was now five seconds ahead of Wehrlein.
Saturday winner Günther had a red car and was told to retire the car immediately. He found an escape road, and no Safety Car was needed.
Final Battles
With just 7 laps remaining, the track started to dry up again, leading to a flurry of battles. Cassidy took his final Attack Mode of five full minutes, but was now comfortably ahead of the field, so he did not relinquish his lead.
The lower pack converged as all planned to try and advance into the points. Barnard took his remaining five minutes of Attack Mode, and aimed to advance into the top ten. But Attack Mode was not proving as powerful in Shangahi, and drivers were not catching rivals with the usual speed.
Three laps were then added, as Barnard pushed past de Vries to move into 11th, Zane Maloney his next target for a solitary point. Rowland, meanwhile, failed to make progress and remained rooted in the midfield.
The second McLaren of Sam Bird past de Vries on lap 27 after taking his Attack Mode. However, he dropped several places after a double 360 degree spin. Vandoorne performed a similar move, the Belgian continuing in the points.
Attempting to recover, Bird lost another place to Rowland, who was looking at a point-less afternoon in Shanghai. Dan Ticktum relieved his fellow Briton of another position, dropping him to 16th.
Out in front, Cassidy was imperious. He finished a stunning 7 seconds ahead of Wehrlein, with Da Costa completing the podium.
Provisional Classification
- Nick Cassidy
- Pascal Wehrlein
- Antonio Felix Da Costa
- Jake Hughes
- Jean Eric Vergne
- Nico Mueller
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Robin Frijns
- Lucas Di Grassi
- Taylor Barnard
- Zane Maloney
- Nyck de Vries
- Oliver Rowland
- Mitch Evans
- Sam Bird
- Dan Ticktum
- Jake Dennis
- Sebastien Buemi
- Edoardo Mortara
- David Beckmann
- Norman Nato
Not Classified
Maximilian Günther
