Can Nick Cassidy Break His Winless Streak at the Rain-Hit Shanghai E-Prix?

Shanghai, June 1 (NationPress) Nick Cassidy concluded his year-long wait for a victory with an impressive performance in challenging conditions, capturing the second race of the 2025 Shanghai E-Prix. Formula E's usual tight competition transformed into a more cautious approach due to the rain.

The driver from Jaguar started from pole position as the race commenced under the Safety Car amid heavy rainfall, which had already disrupted third practice and qualifying. Visibility and grip were scarce at the Shanghai International Circuit throughout the day, necessitating the neutralization of the opening six laps before a rolling start finally kicked off the race.

This rolling start quickly caused separation in the field, with the intense wheel-to-wheel racing from the previous day absent. Unlike the earlier race where positions from second to twelfth were separated by just three seconds, Cassidy crossed the finish line a commanding 13 seconds ahead of Antonio Felix da Costa, who took third place, while Pascal Wehrlein secured second, delivering a double podium for Porsche, according to reports from Xinhua.

Due to the low-speed initial laps and the race's shortened duration, energy-saving strategies became unnecessary, turning the event into a flat-out sprint. However, with aquaplaning a constant danger, the focus shifted from strategy to mere survival. Overtaking proved to be exceptionally difficult, and even minor deviations from the racing line could lead to loss of control.

This scenario became evident when Wehrlein, who had closed in on Cassidy after the first Attack Mode, ran wide at Turn 7, losing valuable time. This allowed Cassidy to remain unchallenged at the front, enabling him to steadily extend his lead and comfortably cruise to victory.

Meanwhile, chaos ensued further back in the field. Kiro's David Beckmann spun out twice while struggling for grip, and Saturday's winner Maximilian Gunther was forced to retire due to a mechanical failure. Notably, despite the difficult conditions, he was the only driver who did not finish the race.

In the standings, title leader Oliver Rowland qualified a disappointing 17th and struggled to move up, ultimately finishing 13th without scoring points. Despite this, he maintains a solid lead in the Drivers' Championship, sitting 68 points clear of second-place Wehrlein. However, he cannot secure the title in the upcoming round in Jakarta, as the championship battle is set to continue at least until the Berlin double-header in mid-July.

Porsche's double podium has given them the lead in the Team's Championship with 191 points, just one point ahead of Rowland's Nissan team.

The next race in the 2024-2025 Formula E World Championship is the Jakarta ePrix on June 21.