Cassidy masters the rain to dominate second Shanghai E-Prix race

Nick Cassidy dominated the second race of the Shanghai E-Prix, mastering the wet conditions to finish 7.126s ahead of Pascal Wehrlein.

The Jaguar TCS Racing driver led from pole position, never being passed as the wet conditions and cooler temperatures, coupled with a safety car start, spread the field out and prevented the race from being a customary intense Formula E affair.

While the day’s schedule was initially moved forward as a preemptive move to avoid the worst of the rain, the race ended up being delayed 90 minutes from its new start time, being pushed back an hour, then another 20 minutes and a final 10 minutes to wait for the rain to subside.

When the race eventually got underway, the first seven laps were spent behind Bruno Correia in the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT safety car. When the race got underway properly on lap eight, it was a rolling start with the cars already spread out. Almost half the field – including the lead trio of Cassidy, Wehrlein, and Antonio Felix da Costa – took their first Attack Modes straight away.

From there the fight for the win was all but settled, with the challenge being to keep it on the track rather than fight over the lead. Cassidy was untroubled at the front, while the two TAG Heuer Porsches behind him swapped positions on lap 9 with Wehrlein having taken an extra two minutes of Attack Mode in his first use of the additional 50 kW and four-wheel-drive, rendering a defense from da Costa pointless.

Wehrlein was able to slightly spoil Cassidy’s perfect day, taking the fastest lap late on to stop the New Zealander’s bid for a grand slam.

Maserati MSG Racing’s Jake Hughes made up one position to finish fourth ahead of DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne, Nico Mueller of Andretti, and Stoffel Vandoorne int eh second Maserati, with Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns eighth and Lola Yamaha Abt’s Lucas di Grassi ninth after falling back from fourth on the grid.

After starting 14th on the grid, Taylor Barnard took the final points position for NEOM McLaren, using his second Attack Mode late on to pick his way through the field.

Championship leader Oliver Rowland also made up four places but could only finish as high as 13th. Had the Nissan man scored and left China with an 88-point buffer in the standings, he would have been in a position to clinch the title next time out in Jakarta in three weeks' time – that will now have to wait until July’s Berlin E-Prix at the earliest.

Saturday winner Maximilian Guenther was the race’s only retirement, with him coming to a stop at Turn 10 on lap 20 after what was described by DS Penske deputy team principal Phil Charles as an "isolation drop" that was still to be properly diagnosed by the team.

The victory was Cassidy’s first since Race 1 of last year’s Berlin E-Prix, ending a torrid run this season in which he only had one podium finish and three other points finishes before Sunday, having taken the championship fight to the final round during the last campaign.

Wehrlein’s second place allows him to move back into second in the Drivers’ standings, with da Costa moving back up to third at the expense of Barnard.

With a double podium and no points for Nissan, TAG Heuer Porsche moves into the lead of the teams’ standings, but remains second in the manufacturers’ standings behind the Japanese brand.

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