Cassidy claims Formula E breakthrough for Citroen in Mexico City

Nick Cassidy completed another calculated drive through the field to deliver Citroen’s first Formula E win at the Mexico City E-Prix.

Starting 13th on the grid, Cassidy was patient before taking his first Attack Mode power boost on lap 26 – a six-minute use which went against what the majority of the field were doing, with four minutes being the most popular option.

That alternate strategy paid off for the New Zealander, however, and by lap 30 he was in the lead. It was a position he wouldn't budge from, with the battle for the remaining podium positions behind him providing him with enough of a buffer that when he'd taken his second Attack Mode (for just two minutes), he was able to hold off Edoardo Mortara, who couldn't capitalize on his second four-minute use of the additional 50kW of power and four-wheel drive.

Mortara tried to get by Cassidy in the final two laps but resolute defending from the Citroen driver, along with the Mahindra driver having to defend himself from Oliver Rowland and Jake Dennis behind him, allowed Cassidy to hold on.

Rowland snatched third in the stadium section on the final lap of the 38-lap race (extended from 36 due to a safety car period), having remained with Dennis despite his second Attack Mode running out before the Andretti driver.

Savvy deployment of his Attack Mode brought Cassidy to the front, and he made it stick for the win. Zak Mauger/Getty Images

Five laps earlier, Dennis was hounding Mortara for second and made contact with the Mahindra driver at Turn 3. While the resultant front wing damage didn't harm his race too much, the contact played a part in Cassidy's late-race dominance, allowing him to gap the pair that had closed in.

Taylor Barnard finished fourth for DS Penske, having led out of the first corner. The young Briton started from second on the grid but made a better getaway than polesitter Sebastien Buemi to challenge the Envision Racing driver into Turn 1. Buemi moved to block Barnard, who backed out of a challenge, but Buemi ran deep into the turn, dropping to last and allowing Barnard to escape with the lead.

The DS Penske driver remained in the podium conversation for the remainder of the race, but was no match for the likes of Cassidy, Mortara and Rowland who held energy advantages and had more beneficial Attack Mode strategies as the race entered its crucial final phase. He was able to relegate Dennis to fifth, however, sweeping round the outside at the final turn.

Pascal Wehrlein finished fifth, with Pepe Marti overcoming a back-of-the-grid start and a stop-and-go penalty for drivetrain element changes to take his first Formula E points in eighth.

A full course yellow on lap 18 which transitioned into a safety car period two laps later after Nyck de Vries stopped at Turn 1 allowed the Cupra Kiro driver to close up to the field after conserving energy at the back in the opening laps. He then used that energy advantage to vault up the order. Jean-Eric Vergne finished eighth, ahead of Nico Mueller who led early on but lost ground after running deep at Turn 5 on lap 28.

Joel Eriksson made it two points finishes in a row, coming home in 10th ahead of Norman Nato and Mitch Evans, who was another in the lead fight earlier in the race until he faded back. His Jaguar TCS Racing teammate Antonio Felix da Costa was one of three retirements in the race, along with the aforementioned de Vries and Dan Ticktum.

On lap 25, da Costa was defending from Cassidy moving up his inside at Turn 5 while himself up the inside of Maximilian Guenther. The German – who recovered to finish 13th – was pitched into a spin but Ticktum was also collected in the incident.

After his off on the first lap, Buemi performed strongly to move back to sixth by lap 17, but pitted with a puncture three laps later during the FCY, ending all hopes of a remarkable recovery drive.

Cassidy's win was the 12th of his Formula E career, and not just Citroen's first in Formula E but its first in top-level single seater racing, having previously tasted success in the World Rally Championship and the World Touring Car Championship. It also gives Cassidy the championship lead four points ahead of Dennis, while reigning champion Rowland sits third, a further two points back.

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