NZ Formula E former title contenders Evans and Cassidy’s expectations turn to frustration

Nick Cassidy (left) and Mitch Evans have had a frustrating start to the Formula E season. Photo / Getty Images

The two New Zealanders contesting the Formula E championship have struck a series of speed bumps this season.

Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy and their Jaguar TCS Racing team were perennial title contenders, showing remarkable speed and consistency for several seasons. Evans was a serial frontrunner, while Cassidy arrived at Jaguar after an impressive campaign with Envision Racing.

On paper, the duo looked a dream team. But after nine of 16 races in the 2024-25 season, frustration has replaced expectation.

Cassidy and Evans are desperate to get back to racing at the pointy end of the field, beginning with this weekend’s two races in Shanghai.

“With every race, we’re learning more about our car, and our focus is to translate that into some big scores for the rest of the season,” Cassidy said.

“It was great to be on the podium the last time we raced in Shanghai and the aim is to be back there this weekend.”

Evans echoed those sentiments and is also keen to deliver good results.

“We’ve had some setbacks this season but I know the team has been working incredibly hard to improve the performance of the Jaguar I-Type 7 so I can fight at the front of the field,” Evans said.

“I have happy memories of last year’s win in China, so it’ll be great to return and hopefully we can deliver another strong result.”

Cassidy has manhandled his Jaguar with the odd flash of brilliance, as evidenced by his drive from 14th to third at Monaco four weeks ago.

But that is his only podium this season and he languishes 13th overall on 33 points, 128 points behind runaway leader Oliver Rowland. At this point of the 2023-24 season, he was leading the title race.

Evans has fared even worse, loitering in 16th with the 25 points he earned for winning the season-opener in Sao Paulo.

He hasn’t scored a single point since, failing to finish higher than 16th in the next eight races. That run includes three retirements and a DNS at the most recent round in Tokyo two weeks ago.

A big part of the issue is their car. The Jaguar racecar was for several seasons the benchmark for development but is now third-fastest on the grid at best.

At the centre of the issue is the chassis introduced this year. While rivals such as Porsche, Nissan and DS-powered entries from Stellantis have found a competitive edge, the Jaguar I-Type 7 has stumbled.

The car lacks outright pace over a race distance, with energy efficiency and driveability falling short of the standards set by the competition. That has left Evans and Cassidy often fighting from the midfield rather than leading the charge.

Not only have mechanical gremlins caused headaches but some of the recent strategy calls have also raised a few eyebrows.

Following on from the debacle of last season’s final race in London, where some strange tactical calls led to both drivers missing out on the title – won by Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein – some of this season’s calls haven’t been any better.

The overall effect of mechanical and technical issues, strategic and tactical miscalculations, and underperformance has taken a mental toll on the drivers and team.

Evans has described maintaining a positive mindset as his “biggest battle”, suggesting the strain on the team may be a pointed distraction.

There is also the gorilla in the corner of the garage created by rumours Cassidy may be heading to one of the Stellantis-owned teams next season.

Stellantis is involved in Formula E through its DS Automobiles and Maserati brands, and works with Penske Motorsport and MSG Racing. The company is also exploring adding Opel to the grid.