Jaguar TCS Racing had two strong races in Shanghai, including a double-podium in Round 11 with Mitch Evans coming home first and Nick Cassidy following in third. Close teamwork from the pair was evident throughout, albeit not entirely without some exasperation amid the heat of the racing action.
It was last lap magic for Evans with Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein down on energy to the Jaguars and forced into all the defensive manoeuvres in the book to try and hold the pair back. The decisive move for the lead eventually came with Evans breaking the German's resistance on the final lap after a failed move at the hairpin a lap prior.
The New Zealander ran all the way around the outside of Wehrlein to swoop into P1 and held fast to the flag, while the Porsche fended off the final turn advances of Cassidy - the championship leader settling for third, clipping his nose at the last and having to see off Oliver Rowland's late lunge for the podium.
As a result, the team tops the Teams’ World Championship with 299 points to Porsche's 226 and Cassidy leads the Drivers’ Championship with Mitch Evans third.
Portland pro
Cassidy won the inaugural Southwire Portland E-Prix in 2023, in Jaguar machinery while at Envision Racing, with Evans finishing fourth and securing the fastest lap.
The standings leader clambered from 10th on the grid to the top step of the podium, as the top 17 runners all crossed the line within seven seconds of one-another.
Cassidy measured his race to perfection from P10 on the grid as the 22-strong field jostled for superiority over the 32-lap encounter, where Formula E's unique balancing act between energy efficiency and outright pace came to the fore.
The strategic battle for top spot was evidenced from the opening lap at Formula E's fourth US venue, as positions and race leaders changed corner by corner in groups five and six wide at points.
The Kiwi headed the way several times but finally got the better of da Costa, himself a race leader, on Lap 28 with the decisive move - only a few turns after the Portuguese had seized the initiative himself.
More of the same in Portland?
“Shanghai was great for the team with a Round 11 win for Mitch and a podium for Nick, his eighth in the season to-date," starts James Barclay, Managing Director, JLR Motorsport and Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal.
"A double points-scoring result also in Round 12 meant that it was a successful weekend on our return to China which enabled us to extend our Teams’ World Championship lead to 73 points. Nick also extended his lead in the Drivers’ World Championship with Mitch moving into third position.
"This strong performance increases our current team points haul to 299, more than our total for the entirety of last season - an amazing achievement.
"We are looking forward to returning to Portland for its second year on the Formula E calendar – it’s an exciting and challenging track – as the team focuses on maximising performance in this final phase of the season with just four rounds remaining.”
"Another amazing weekend in Shanghai," says Evans. "Getting the win and seeing Nick on the podium on Saturday before a strong finish on Sunday sets us in good stead for the last four races. I’m looking forward to returning to Portland for the second year and challenging myself to increase our team lead. The team and I are also working hard to continue the upward trajectory towards P2 in the Drivers’ standings.”
“Shanghai was a positive race weekend and overall, I achieved strong results, including my eighth podium of the season," adds Cassidy. "It will be great to be back in Portland after topping the podium last season. I have hopes of achieving the same result this year and I’m confident we can hold my position in the standings and work with the team to extend our lead.”
The Hankook Portland E-Prix Rounds 13 and 14 get underway at 14:00 PDT on both Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 June.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream Formula E's 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix
The 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix gets underway on Friday 28 June with Free Practice 1 at 17:00 local time.
Then it's straight into the first race day of the double-header on Saturday 29 June as Free Practice 2 kicks off the day at 07:30 local, followed by qualifying at 09:40 local with lights out on Round 4 at 14:00 local/21:00 UTC.
For Round 14, the same schedule applies: Free Practice starts at 07:30 on Sunday 30 June, followed by qualifying at 09:40 local time and the race at 14:00 local/21:00 UTC.
All race sessions will be shown live on Roku in the USA. Highlights will be shown on CBS Sports Network.
View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.