FIA Formula E

Nick Cassidy storms through Formula E field for Monaco victory

Andrew Rickert

May 7, 2023 — 3 min read

Nick Cassidy stormed through the Formula E field in Monaco to take victory and the lead of the championship standings.

Nick Cassidy celebrates on the podium in Monaco. *(LAT Images / Formula E)*

The Envision Racing driver started ninth and made a series of bold moves in the tight streets of Monaco to establish himself as a contender for the E-Prix victory.

It was a duel between two Kiwis for a record fourth victory in a row for any one nationality, with Cassidy fighting Mitch Evans for the lead in the final stages of the E-Prix.

"It's really, really cool," said Cassidy.

"It's just a massive moment for me, I'm a bit speechless."

"I still can't believe it yet. I've got nothing against Berlin, but this feels amazing. It feels pretty damn special."

The race was once again a strategic battle of energy conservation, with the lead drivers waiting to see who would flinch first and push for the victory.

"I definitely led too early at points, I was def too aggressive at points, but I'm just developing my craft," said Cassidy.

"It got to a stage where I knew we were fighting Mitch and Jake [Dennis] for the win, but how do you position yourself? What moves do you make? How do you see it playing out?"

"Obviously we see it playing out over the last few laps, but that's the work done 20 laps ago."

Nick Cassidy leads Mitch Evans through the tight swimming pool section in Monaco. *(Simon Galloway / Formula E)*

Jake Hughes led away from Sacha Fenestraz off the grid after a dominant performance from the Nissan-powered cars in qualifying.

Cassidy began his charge from the first lap, up two spots off the line, while Oliver Rowland was the next to move on lap two, up to sixth after starting 13th on the grid.

The Kiwi continued his momentum through the field on lap four, back to ninth after his opening moves and the first series of Attack Mode activations. He went the long way around Jake Dennis and Pascal Wehrlein at the hairpin, before picking off Mitch Evans and Jake Hughes on following laps.

With all of the lead drivers through Attack Mode in the first half of the race, the order was settled for a sprint to the finish, with a nervous strategy battle emerging as to who would breakaway first.

Nick Cassidy led Mitch Evans, Jake Dennis, Sacha Fenestraz, Maximilian Guenther, Edoardo Mortaro, and Dan Ticktum in a tight pack at the front, with Cassidy and Evans swapping the lead lap-after-lap.

Envision engineer Joseph Roca gave Cassidy the instruction to push on lap 20, shortly before Dan Ticktum and Norman Nato came together at Rascasse. The damaged NIO 333 struggled up the hill and was collected by Guenther, who came to a halt at Casino Square.

The stage was set for a duel between New Zealanders Cassidy and Evans in the final five laps before Nico Mueller crashed at turn one, ending the dramatic race behind the safety car.

With back-to-back victories, Cassidy moves into the lead of the championship standings on 121 points, with Pascal Wehrlein second on 101 points after finishing 11th and out of the points in Monaco.

Jake Dennis was third and sits third in the championship standings on 96 points, with Mitch Evans fourth on 94 points.

The 2023 FIA Formula E season returns 2-4 June for the Jakarta double-header.

2023 FIA Formula E World Championship - Round 9 Monaco Race Result