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Envision Racing were able to end Season 9 on a high, as the first Teams’ Champions in the GEN3 era of Formula E. Going up against their powertrain supplier, Jaguar TCS Racing, the Silverstone-based team finished the finale with 304 points to their name, four wins and nine podiums over their best-ever season.
One driver who was key in their success was Nick Cassidy. The Kiwi driver was responsible for all their victories this year and all but one top three finish, and ended the season second in the Drivers’ World Championship. Despite a disappointing end to his title fight with Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis, as Cassidy and teammate Sebastien Buemi came together in Round 15 which completely ruined his championship hopes, he remained positive for what the Envision team had achieved.
“It's no secret that I haven't been the happiest of guys, but I'm really happy for the team because they put an enormous amount into it,” Cassidy said after winning the final race of the season in London. “I know we all say that, and I know every team does, but I just am really fond of the group of people that I work with. It's been the same guys for three years. They are a really top group of guys and girls, and I'm glad that we could repay them in that way. I wasn’t the happiest but I said this morning that the best comeback is to try to get the Julius Baer Pole Position and the win, and it’s unbelievable that we could do that.”
Cassidy rocketed to pole position for the Sunday race, lining up on the front row alongside Jaguar’s Mitch Evans. Although the two are close friends, they both had to navigate wet and challenging conditions to help their respective teams win the championship.
“It's a funny one, Sylvain Filippi [Envision Racing Team Managing Director] is going to think I am an idiot for saying this. I feel like in my career, I went to Japan and I learned a lot about myself - like how to get the best out of myself, what I needed but also what I could give to a team.
“When I came to Formula E, it was a bit like being put into a box in a way. Not in a negative way, it's just, it's the situation. Throughout the three years, we've gotten a lot of trust in each other and the team's really allowed me to step outside that box, if that makes sense. To be myself, contribute in the ways that I can contribute, and also approach things in a way that suits me. Of course, the relationship, but also my personal performance has had its ups and downs. However, I think those were important because I learned a lot about how to approach things and, and this year, more often than not, I got that right. So it's been a really interesting journey.”
Since Cassidy’s first race at the 2021 Diriyah E-Prix, he had entered 47 races, won five - four of which were this season - and accomplished 12 podiums and five pole positions. He has always had moments of brilliance with the Envision team since his debut in the championship, but GEN3 has allowed Cassidy to blossom. With the benefits of the strong Jaguar powertrain package and playing out each E-Prix like an expert game of chess, Cassidy came ever so close to his first Formula E title. But with the rumour mill suggesting a change of teams for Season 10, we will have to wait a few more months to see what the future brings for Cassidy.
