FE | Berlin: Cassidy wins with strategy and takes the lead in the world championship

Often in Formula E, especially in group races, it matters to be in the right place at the right time, thinking about strategy, as done in today’s race by Nick Cassidy, who won the first of the two weekend events in Berlin. Just as in Monaco two weeks ago, Jaguar was able to make a difference on a tactical level, albeit with a very particular strategy which, in part, almost resembles the one used by the ERTs at Misano.

Cassidy completed a good part of the race outside the top ten, which allowed him to conserve a lot of energy to exploit at the end, when it was needed most. A risky tactic from some points of view, because sometimes it leads to finding yourself outside the leading group and then having to catch up but, at least on this occasion, it paid off.

In a race which, as expected on the eve, saw the drivers continue to exchange top positions, also being conditioned by two Safety Car periods and several accidents, energy management once again proved to be one of the winning keys. Cassidy made his move in the final laps, starting to move up the rankings using the 2% more energy he retained while remaining at the back of the pack.

That 2% of energy meant that, with three laps to go, the Jaguar driver could take the lead, overtaking Jean-Eric Vergne’s DS, extending his lead to a margin of almost five seconds. Clearly, over the course of the season the British team demonstrated that it can count on a very energy efficient car, but in this case the very “aggressive” strategy also paid off.

For Nick Cassidy, this is the second success of the season after the one in Saudi Arabia: a triumph which also allows him to take the lead of the standings from Pascal Wehrlein, taking the lead with an eight-point advantage over his Porsche rival.

Excellent race also for Jean-Eric Vergne, who had started the ePrix from third place. The French rider has always remained in the top group despite the various duels in which he was the protagonist, including the one with his teammate in the first laps. In such a difficult race from the point of view of energy management and on-track battles, it was equally important not to make any mistakes that could in any way compromise the car, an aspect in which the Frenchman was a master.

Vergne, who thus returns to the podium after the one achieved in Diriyah, fought until the last corners with Oliver Rowland, protagonist of a good comeback even from fifteenth position on the grid. Despite his position at the back of the grid, the Briton returned to the leading group after a few laps, remaining with the other top riders until the checkered flag which gave him a good third place. For Rowland it is not only the fifth podium of the season, but also a result that relaunches him in the world rankings. A great satisfaction for Nissan which, among other things, brought two cars to the points, given that Sacha Fenestraz was able to finish in ninth place.

Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23, Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

However, Jaguar also takes home a nice haul of points, because in addition to Cassidy’s victory there is also the fourth place of Mitch Evans, who was one of the last to take advantage of the second Attack Mode. For the British team, this is a great opportunity to build on Porsche in the team world championship, given that the Stuttgart team was unable to go beyond fifth and sixth place, despite both drivers remaining in the top positions for a long time. , even taking the lead in the ePrix at certain stages.

Wehrlein therefore had to settle for a fifth place, while Antonio Felix da Costa finished immediately behind him: for the Portuguese it was in any case another top ten, an encouraging result.

Seventh position for Stoffel Vandoorne, who started second next to Mortara. After remaining in the leading positions in the first laps, the Belgian slipped out of the top ten, also suffering problems with his front wing. Taking advantage of the various race situations, right at the end Vandoorne managed to get back into the points, taking seventh place ahead of Mortara’s Mahindra, who had instead started from pole.

Taylor Barnard, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, e-4ORCE 04

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Given the shortcomings of the Mahindra Powertrain in terms of efficiency, it was logical to expect a much more complex race than qualifying, but the Swiss driver managed the situation well, bringing home the first points of the season, which clearly add to those of the pole obtained in morning. Also rounding out the top ten were Sacha Fenestraz and Taylor Barnard, who scored a small point in his second ever race in Formula E. A great satisfaction for the McLaren driver, who had already achieved a very solid race in Monaco.

Of note is the eleventh place of Kelvin Van der Linde with the ABT Cupra, who missed the top ten by only half a second. In reality, for much of the race the South African remained in the fight and inside the points, but a contact then forced him to return to the pits to replace the front wing. Van der Linde then attempted a comeback, missing tenth place by a few tenths. Equally unlucky was the other Abt Cupra, that of Lucas di Grassi, hit by Dan Ticktum’s ERT while it was in the points.