Nick Cassidy won the second ePrix in Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah, leading the race ahead of Robin Frijns and Oliver Rowland, and became the new championship leader.
Highlights
‣ Nick Cassidy won the second ePrix in Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah, leading Robin Frijns and Oliver Rowland, and became the new leader in the championship.
‣ Robin Frijns, driving for Envision Racing, managed a phenomenal start from the dirty side of the grid and initially took the lead before being overtaken by Cassidy.
‣ The race was primarily a duel between Cassidy and Frijns, both using Jaguar powertrains, with Cassidy managing to maintain the lead despite energy conservation efforts.
‣ Nyck de Vries and Jake Dennis, the reigning champion, had a difficult day with de Vries finishing behind his teammate and Dennis failing to score any points due to a penalty.
Nick Cassidy just clinched the win in Saudi Arabia’s second ePrix at Diriyah. The New Zealander, steering his Jaguar, edged out Robin Frijns to take the top spot. Oliver Rowland, in his Nissan, snagged third. With this win, Cassidy’s now leading the championship pack.
Robin Frijns? He was the lone warrior for Envision Racing at the start. His teammate, Sébastien Buemi, was sidelined, nursing a damaged monocoque from a qualifying crash. Despite the setback, Frijns didn’t just show up; he shone. Starting from a less-than-ideal spot, he rocketed past Oliver Rowland right at the first corner.
### Cassidy and Frijns: The Duel for P1
Post-grabbing his first attack mode, Frijns saw Cassidy sneak past him. But Cassidy wasn’t just cruising; he built a lead, then took his attack mode, still keeping ahead. Frijns, not one to back down, activated his second attack mode, keeping the pressure on Cassidy. Meanwhile, Rowland found himself in a lonely third, with the rest of the pack trailing.
The race felt like a two-horse race between Cassidy and Frijns, both powered by Jaguar. Despite energy concerns, Frijns was inching closer to Cassidy. Yet, overtaking him? That remained a dream. The duo did manage to leave Rowland six seconds behind in the dust, though.
Then, chaos. Sam Bird hit a wall, and Jehan Daruvala had to retire due to brake failure. This reshuffled the deck. Cassidy, now energy-conserving, lost some speed but, lucky for him, Frijns was too busy fending off Rowland to attack. This twist of fate handed Cassidy his maiden victory with Jaguar, with Frijns a close second.
### De Vries and Dennis: A Tough Day
Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara, teammates at Mahindra, had a day to forget. De Vries, who out-qualified Mortara, finished behind him in the race. Neither scored points, finishing 12th and 14th. Jake Dennis, fresh off a win, had a nightmare race. Post-qualifying, he lamented over his “worst FE car” experience. A post-race penalty was the cherry on top of his dismal day, leaving him point-less.
### The Results: Second ePrix Diriyah
And there you have it. The dust has settled on the second ePrix in Diriyah, with Cassidy leading the charge. Frijns and Rowland rounded off the podium, but the race was anything but predictable. From thrilling overtakes to unexpected setbacks, it was a day full of high-speed drama.
