Nick Cassidy spoke about the positives of his last few races, but feels that the Berlin E-Prix may not be so positive for him and Jaguar.
Cassidy comes into the Berlin E-Prix on a high, having won in Shanghai and finished well in Jakarta. The Jaguar man currently sits P8 in the Drivers’ Championship. Cassidy qualified P21 for the Berlin E-Prix.
Speaking exclusively to Fastest Formula News, Cassidy spoke of his pride for his performances this season and hopes to get good results despite a 20-place grid penalty on Saturday.
Cassidy delighted with recent races
It was a tricky start to the season for Cassidy, but he bounced back with a podium in Monaco. The Kiwi feels that result ignited a much-needed spark in his season.
“I feel like it’s been a bit of a high since Monaco. I mean, it’s good to get a podium there. The next race in Shanghai we won. Jakarta was looking strong. I mean, we started P4, and honestly, I was fighting with Dan [Ticktum] the whole way, but we lost out to attack mode.
“So I kind of feel, you know, even though it’s been a disappointing year, it’s been really good to be strong in the last events and hopefully if we can hang around that top six for the last four races, that’d be great.”
On any potential success at the Berlin E-Prix
Cassidy was awarded a 20-place grid penalty after an MCU change on his Jaguar I-TYPE 7. With the penalty likely to ruin any hopes for Saturday’s race, the Jaguar man is hoping for some chaos to help him.
“I’ve got a 20 place penalty for Saturday, so it’s likely I could have a drive through or a stop and go penalty, which kind of writes that race off for me. But, you know, maybe if there’s rain and a safety car or something, it can bring you back to the field and at least we can do a race, which would be nice.”
The Tempelhof Airport Circuit, adding an extra challenge to Cassidy’s weekend
The Berlin E-Prix has been notorious for being a low-grip, tyre-shredding race since its debut in 2014. As all drivers do, Cassidy feels the track adds an extra challenge to his weekend – especially with it being the GEN3 EVO’s debut outing at Tempelhof.
“It’s a big extra challenge. I mean, we don’t really know how that’s going to affect, you know, this year’s car and this year’s tyre. I feel like we really got it sorted last year and season nine here, so let’s see.
“I’m not expecting it’s going to be super strong for us, I think. You know, cars like the Mahindra, Porsche, Nissan are going to be very quick, but hopefully, we can be there.”
Cassidy, proud of his season despite Jaguar’s pace
Despite great races in Shanghai and Jakarta, Cassidy has found himself on the fringe of top-10 finishes this season. On the biggest takeaway of his season so far, the Kiwi expressed pride at his efforts in the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.
“Just proud that, you know, I’ve shown that I’m clearly not the best car I could still win a race, so that’s been quite nice.”
