British Components E drivers Jake Dennis and Oliver Rowlands have been overtaken within the championship standings by Nick Cassidy who gained the Mexico Metropolis E-Prix on Saturday night time
Nick Cassidy leapfrogged Britain’s Components E title contenders with to win by a hair in Mexico Metropolis – however maybe at the price of his barnet. The New Zealander began thirteenth on the grid however got here crusing by means of to victory within the second race of the season and knock Jake Dennis off high spot within the championship.
And afterwards he admitted: “I made a deal that if I gained I would shave my head. As I used to be coming throughout the road I used to be like, ‘Do I elevate off?'” However the winner in Mexico has gained the title in every of the final three seasons and Cassidy added: “There is a statistic that whoever wins this race is nice within the championship, so I wasn’t giving that one up.”
A prolonged interval of yellow flags, brought on by former Components 1 driver Nyck de Vries stopping after overshooting flip one on lap 18, noticed the competition prolonged by two laps. And the vitality saved by the vehicles going so slowly for a number of laps created an exhilarating end as everybody pushed flat out to the chequered flag.
Edoardo Mortara led for a lot of the competition however the additional vitality expended by having no-one in entrance of him punching a gap within the air could have value him ultimately. Cassidy slipped by the Swiss within the closing levels to safe Citroen’s first Components E victory in solely their second E-Prix, having entered the all-electric championship for the primary time this 12 months.
The Kiwi stated: “I attempted to remain optimistic after qualifying. My crew actually gave me an ideal automotive for qualifying and I did not do the job. They gave me the arrogance for the race that we might be good. I am simply very completely satisfied and happy for them, as a result of these guys do not do holidays. They work so laborious.”
Victory builds on a podium end within the Sao Paulo season opener, and Cassidy added: “What a dream begin we have had. There’s some actually cool instances forward however, man, what a second. I did not assume till the final lap that we have been okay. I used to be completely satisfied in the present day with P4, having began P13.”
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Defending champion Oliver Rowland secured back-to-back podiums, ending third from eighth on the grid, whereas 2023 title-winner Dennis was fifth. The 2 Brits are well-placed within the standings, simply six and 4 factors behind Cassidy in third and second place respectively.
It might need been a fair higher day for Rowland had it not been for a messy interval mid-way by means of the race. On lap 18, he was pushed onto the grass whereas duelling for place and misplaced half-a-dozen locations, seconds earlier than these yellow flags brought on by De Vries ruined the 4 minutes of Assault Mode he had taken.
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One other Brit completed excessive up within the type of Taylor Barnard, who crossed the road fourth. The DS Penske driver had began second on the grid and took an early lead when pole-sitter Sebastian Buemi, who had certified quickest for the primary time in three years, went off monitor.
The previous Toro Rosso F1 racer’s seventeenth Components E pole – a collection report collectively held with fellow Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne – meant nothing when he outbraked himself whereas defending from Barnard into flip one on the opening lap and needed to take the run-off, dropping from first to nineteenth place. Buemi ultimately completed seventeenth, final of the vehicles that accomplished the E-Prix.
