Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy moved to the top of the Formula E standings after a sensational Monaco E-Prix.
After starting 9th, the Kiwi driver held off compatriot Mitch Evans to win the Monaco E-Prix, a race that saw 116 overtakes. Such a high volume of passing manoeuvres around a track such as Monaco is perhaps the greatest advert yet for Formula E as a leading motorsport series.
The Opening Stages
At the start, McLaren’s Jake Hughes led away from pole position, with Cassidy quickly moving up to 7th. Oliver Rowland also gained considerable ground, moving from 13th to 6th on the second lap. Despite dropping back to his starting position, Evans moved up to 4th by just lap six. There was a reversal in fortunes for Hughes, who was now back in 7th. As commonplace with the Gen3 era of Formula E, it was a cat-and-mouse game of tactical wills. Cassidy opted to use Attack Mode early to reach the front of the pack.
A sense of rhythm and order began to play out after the early hectic exchanges. Cassidy and Evans pulled away from the field and would duel it out for victory, leaving the rest of the field behind. Or so it seemed. The Safety Car would be deployed after Maximilian Gunther coasted to a halt at Massenet after contact with Dan Ticktum. The Britain was once again in the wars, having already lost part of his front-wing in a tussle with Sacha Fenestraz at Rascasse.
Dash to the Finish
Flat-out racing was guaranteed once the Safety Car dived into the pitlane, with energy conserved in the laps spent behind it. Evans tried desperately to make a move on Cassidy but all attempts were in vain. Cassidy’s win was assured after yet another Safety Car was deployed for a collision between Evans’ team-mate Sam Bird and Nico Muller. Cassidy took the chequered flag ahead of Evans, with Jake Dennis rounding up the podium after a fine drive. DS Penske’s Jean-Éric Vergne won the ABB Driver of Progress award after a stellar performance. After being sent to the back of the grid due to a qualifying infringement, the two-time Formula E champion stormed through to finish 7th.
Cassidy’s second win on the bounce now sees him leap above Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein – who finished a disappointing 10th – to lead the Drivers’ standings.
Monaco E-Prix Race Results:
- Nick Cassidy – Envision Racing
- Mitch Evans – Jaguar TCS Racing
- Jake Dennis – Avalanche Andretti
- Sacha Fenestraz – Nissan
- Jake Hughes – McLaren
- Dan Ticktum – NIO 333
- Jean-Éric Vergne – DS Penske
- Sébastien Buemi – Envision Racing
- Stoffel Vandoorne – DS Penske
- Pascal Wehrlein – Porsche
