Nick Cassidy says Formula E title fight this year would be seen as ‘a great season’ in the championship

ByEurosport

Updated 23/02/2023 at 22:42 GMT

Nick Cassidy narrowly missed out on victory last time out in the Hyderabad E-Prix as he finished second to Jean-Eric Vergne after a thrilling battle. The result has put him up to fifth in the championship, though he is 52 points behind Pascal Wehrlein. Cassidy is looking to reduce that deficit on Saturday at the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix, which is live on Eurosport and discovery+.

Vergne holds off green machines to claim sensational win in Hyderabad

Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy is relishing the chance to prove he is in the mix for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title ahead of this weekend’s inaugural Cape Town E-Prix.

Early signs would suggest that Cassidy is certainly capable of being in the mix for the Season 9 crown and the weekend offers an opportunity to further prove his title credentials on Saturday.

The 28-year-old registered his first podium of the season last time out in Hyderabad and will be looking to go one better this weekend as the all-electric racing series heads to sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in its history.

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Second place in Hyderabad continued an impressive run of form for Cassidy, who has been one of Formula E’s most consistent performers since mid-way through last season.

In fact, the Kiwi’s form has been so strong that he’s recorded just one less point than Season 8 champion Stoffel Vandoorne since winning the 2022 New York City E-Prix in Round 11.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s race, Cassidy admitted he sees himself as a member of the chasing pack for the title this season.

“I think I'd like to be in the fight for the top three and the championship,” he said. “That would be in my eyes a great season. It depends on circumstances, because I think in motorsport, there can always be things outside of your control. But I think that's our potential.

“We have the potential to be in the points every race and so that's ultimately got to be the target. And then we will see in London where we are and if that's true or not. But it's Formula E – it’s so competitive, it's so difficult to get the day right.

"Everything has to work out to win in the championship, which makes it amazing for everyone involved: the fans, the teams, the drivers.”

Envision have impressed in the opening four rounds of the season and the Silverstone-based outfit currently sit third in the team standings, with drivers Sebastien Buemi and Cassidy positioned in fourth and fifth in the driver’s ranking, respectively.

Meanwhile Envision’s cousins, Jaguar TCS Racing, have fared less well, with Cassidy’s compatriot Mitch Evans languishing in 12th – sub-par for the man who finished Season 8 as runner-up.

Cassidy and Evans raced together in single-seater during their formative years in New Zealand, and the latter actually pipped Cassidy to the Toyota Racing Series title in 2011 while they were teammates.

“We've been really close since we were six years old,” Cassidy explains. “He’s one of my best mates and it's really cool, to be racing together in Formula E. Especially now almost as team-mates, so we can relate to a lot of things about the car and about development.

“Back home we were quite big rivals in karting and then single series we went different paths. But we've ended up together in Formula E which is quite cool.

“From my side, I don't think there’s any rivalry at all really. I’m really happy for him when he's doing well. I supported him last year, watching him fight for the championship. I get on with Stoff as well so that was quite cool to see those two guys go at it. And hopefully this year we are part of the fight as well.”

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Watch the inaugural 2023 Cape Town E-Prix live on terrestrial television on Eurosport and discovery+

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