By Carlo Platella
If there is a team that regrets Rome's exit from the Formula E calendar more than any other, it is Jaguar. The Eur circuit has given a lot of satisfaction to the English company, with its strong single-seaters which both in the Gen2 era and with the Gen3 have often shown off on city circuits, when what counts are speed on the flying lap, agility in slow corners, incisive braking and stability on the most uneven asphalt. Characteristics poles apart from those of Misanowhich for this reason becomes a cause for concern for Nick Cassidy, in full fight for the title.
Misano is difficult for Jaguar
“The start of the season was positive and we were also fast in the last two races,” reflects the New Zealand rider on the eve of the Italian stage. “Misano and the next stages, however, will be difficult. The tracks don't suit our car that muchbut more Porsche, McLaren and Nissan.” Already after the victory in Saudi Arabia Cassidy appeared aware of the difficulties the team would face as the season continued, speaking on the radio immediately after crossing the finish line to remind us that “difficult days will come”.
The recent results should actually inspire confidence in both the team and the drivers. In fact, Nick Cassidy won the Portland race and the second Berlin E-Prix last season, events characterized by a level of energy management similar to what the teams will experience at Misano. Jaguar also took the victory in race 1 again in Berlin with Mitch Evans, denoting a particularly efficient package, but not enough to instill confidence in Nick Cassidy: “Misano will be a profoundly different track for everyone, similar to Valencia or Portland. I don't think it really suits us at the moment.”
Favorite Porsche
“On the single lap we have the possibility to do well, but in the race at the moment we are not very fast”, continues the New Zealander. “Porsche powertrains are truly competitive. They already were last year, but we were lucky to have tracks like Rome and London at the end of the season that suited our package”. At the time Porsche also paid dearly for the official team's lack of competitiveness in qualifying. However, the German company has worked hard since then, winning two pole positions with Pascal Wehrlein and four accesses to the knockout phase in the first five qualifying sessions of 2024.
Therefore, according to Cassidy, last season distorted the actual quality of the Jaguar package in terms of efficiency and race pace: “In the eyes of the press we seemed like a step forward, but the reality is that On large circuits, Porsche engines are really efficient. Nissan also made a major leap forward this year. It will be tough for us in the race.” The concerns expressed by the New Zealander grow when looking at the calendar, which of the 11 remaining races includes 8 on tracks with similar characteristics to Misano. The hope at Jaguar is that the drivers' vision of the race and the strategic calls from the wall can make the difference, helping to compensate for any shortcomings of the car.
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