Nick Cassidy took victory in the first London E-Prix of the weekend, utilising an unconventional strategy.
Mitch Evans lined up on pole position for the first London E-Prix of the season finale. Joined on the front row by Nyck de Vries, the front two looked to create an upset.
Oliver Rowland started down in 12th with Taylor Barnard down in 14th. Antonio Felix Da Costa started in 17th for Porsche, with a tough race in prospect. The Maserati duo of Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes lined up seventh and eighth, as they aimed for a strong first race of the weekend.
The driver’s championship may have been secured; however, the Manufacturer’s and Team’s titles remained up for grabs. With Porsche and Nissan both starting down the order, progression would be critical to salvage a result.
Lights out at the first race of the London E-Prix leads to chaos
Mitch Evans led away from the line at the London E-Prix, De Vries slotting behind into second plaxe behind. The pack was well behaved for the first few corners before chaos unfolded.
Maximillian Gunther was the first to encounter misfortune, getting involved with Edo Mortara, hitting the wall. He ground to a halt, unable to steer. This caused a bottleneck effect, both with both McLarens and Zane Maloney having nowhere to go. Both were able to continue, but were back in 18th and 19th.
Jake Hughes, while not having heavy contact at the start of the race, crawled back to the pits to retire. His crew attempted to repair the car but he was now at least a lap down.
The incidents now led to frantic recalculations on the pitwall, teams’ carefully thought out strategies now out the window.
The race resumed on lap 3. Evans led away once again, with no one attempting a divebomb move into the first corner, the field now behaving after the first lap.
Sam Bird demonstrated how much energy was being saved by Evans, lapping three seconds quicker than the race leaders. Pace settled down, with drivers not pushing their cars, waiting for the Pit Boost window.
Pit Boost prompts action at the London E-Prix
Bird pitted on lap 15 for his Pit Boost. With McLaren’s race looking challenging, the team opted for an unconventional strategy. Vandoorne, Vergne, Nato and Buemi all pitted in reaction.
Wehrlein and De Vries took their Attack Mode on lap 18, while Nick Cassidy pitted for his mandatory recharge.
De Vries utilised his extra power to take the lead on lap 18. He set off into the distance as Wehrlein and Evans battled. The Porsche passed the Jaguar on the main straight, but he was now 2 seconds behind de Vries.
Evans took his Attack Mode one lap later, as the top four continued to tour the circuit, unable to pit. Despite having clear air, Cassidy, now in tenth, did not take his Attack Mode.
De Vries took his second Attack Mode on lap 22, opting for a strategy of maintaining track position. Hoping to be at the front of the field once all the pit stops had played out, the Dutchman pushed hard.
Further back, Dan Ticktum collided with Jean-Eric Vergne, hitting the DS Penske going into the first corner.
Leaders pit, Cassidy plays the long game
De Vries, Wehrlein, and Rowland all pitted on lap 25, and emerged in the lead. Cassidy, now in second, had two Attack Modes remaining and able to push. Evans became a victim of his earlier defense, dropping to seventh.
Cassidy took Attack Mode on lap 26, and set off after De Vries. A robust defence from De Vries across the lap kept him in the lead. However, it was all over on the pit straight, as Cassidy tore past.
Evans’ race went from bad to worse, hit by Dan Ticktum, and spun round. Ticktum then brought his race to an early conclsuon as he hit the barriers, destroying the front end of his car.
Cassidy took his final Attack Mode before the Safety Car was deployed. This ruined Cassidy’s strategy, placing him at risk of attack from De Vries.
Second restart at London E-Prix
The race resumed on lap 35, with Cassidy now forced to defend from multiple cars with a second Attack Mode remaining.
Further back, Rowland, back in the 14th century, was unable to make any progress. Muller hit the barriers on lap 36 but was able to continue, albeit at the back of the pack.
Cassidy comfortably took victory over De Vries, and Wehrlein completed the podium. Vandoorne was fourth, Dennis fifth, Vergne sixth, Mortara seventh, Frijns eighth, Natio ninth and Buemi tenth.
Session classification
- Nick Cassidy
- Nyck De Vries
- Pascal Wehrlien
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Jake Dennis
- Jean-Eric Vergne
- Edo Mortara
- Robin Frijns
- Norman Nato
- Mitch Evans
- Oliver Rowland
- David Beckmann
- Taylor Barnard
- Antonio Felix Da Costa
- Nico Muller
- Sebastien Buemi
- Lucas Di Grassi
Not Classified
Sam Bird
Dan Ticktum
Zane Maloney
Jake Hughes
Maximillian Gunther
