Cassidy is the strategy master
Envision Racing's Nick Cassidy picked up his third win of the season and is now one point behind the Avalanche Andretti of Jake Dennis, who leads the championship fight. After a point-less run in Jakarta, the race around the Portland International Raceway will undoubtedly be a welcomed haul of points as he hunts down his first Formula E title.
Starting from 10th on the grid, Cassidy once again played a masterful game of racing chess to make up a handful of positions on the first few laps. From there, he lept through the pack and past his rivals to find himself in the lead. Although losing it briefly to the TAG Heuer Porsche of Antonio Felix da Costa, he kept his cool and took the place back to win the race.
"It was close," Cassidy said about the battle with da Costa and Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti), who finished in second. "The guys we're racing, they're top. Jake was the referenced point today, and he did an amazing job in qualifying. Antonio, in these races, he's always fantastic as well. It's fun. It's very fun."
Andretti impress the home crowds
This weekend, Avalanche Andretti was a fan favourite, being an American team on the all-electric grid. Jake Dennis achieved his first Julius Baer Pole Position of the season, beating Nissan's Sacha Fenestraz in the Final of the Duels. What a time to do it - especially with the big boss Michael Andretti in the house!
Although Dennis was able to retake the championship lead before the E-Prix had even begun - thanks to the three points for pole handed out - he wasn't able to convert the first-place grid slot into another victory.
"I think Jake was unlucky to be starting on pole, to be honest," race winner Cassidy confessed after the race. "Today wasn't a race to be doing that."
Nevertheless, a bold move on da Costa on the last lap of the race rewarded Dennis with his third consecutive second place finish and means he maintains his lead in the Drivers' World Championship as we head to Rome next month.
A record-breaking weekend
Heading into the Portland weekend, it was no secret that this permanent facility could produce quick speeds. However, it only took the first practice session to break all kinds of records around the 3.221km circuit.
NEOM McLaren's Rene Rast finished FP1 fastest, despite never being in the top five in any practice session this season, and set a time of 1m09.054s. By doing so, Rast became the first driver to break Sacha Fenestraz's all-time Formula E average speed record. It didn't stop there, as Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) recorded the first 100 mph average lap in Formula E history.
The Jaguar TCS Racing of Mitch Evans hit a 276.6km/h (171.9mph) top speed on his final flying lap of the session, as did his teammate Sam Bird who also became the first driver to break a speed of 275km/h for the first time in Formula E history.
Mahindra back in the points
It's been quite a turbulent year for the Mahindra Racing squad. Their season got off to a fantastic start when Lucas di Grassi got pole position and third place in Mexico City. However, as GEN3 has evolved, the team have hit several bumps in the road. From withdrawing from the E-Prix in Cape Town because of suspension issues to having their long-term driver Oliver Rowland mutually agree to leave Mahindra Racing after Monaco, it's been a rollercoaster for the Indian team.
However, Portland was good to them as di Grassi found himself back in the points for the first time since Mexico 11 rounds ago! Although Mahindra has accumulated more points over the year, including Rowland in Hyderabad and finishing 10th in Berlin, it's still a solid points haul as di Grassi finished in seventh.
The racing is good wherever we go
Formula E returned to a permanent racing facility this weekend, with all 22 cars taking to the Portland International Raceway. Previously used to host IndyCar and NASCAR races, it's a circuit with a lot of character and starkly contrasts the tight and twisty street circuits we usually see.
That didn't stop the championship from putting on a spectacle, with 403 overtakes counted throughout the Southwire Portland E-Prix. The sell-out crowd certainly opened their arms to Formula E and were treated to some brilliant and bold overtakes, as well as some high-speed racing.
Although most of the racing in Formula E is in city centres and temporary tracks, Portland has shown that the championship can put on a show wherever it goes!
