Proving that in sport it never pays to give up, the Envision Racing Formula E Team managed to soar from a crushing low to a dizzying high at the Puebla E-Prix…here’s how it happened.
As early as lap one in Saturday’s race one of a double-header weekend of Formula E action, Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy found himself sat stricken in a badly damaged car, out of the race and with his whole weekend at the Puebla E-Prix in Mexico seriously in doubt.
In a 28 hour emotional motorsport rollercoaster, the likes of which Formula E has rarely witnessed, the Envision Racing team pulled off a herculean effort Jack Bauer, and quite possibly Hercules himself, would have endorsed.
Essentially, the team had to build a new car for Sunday’s round nine of the Formula E season, pulling an all nighter and while their rival rested, the guys and girls at Envision Racing worked against the clock, sensationally rebuilding Cassidy’s Audi e-tron FE07.
And the New Zealand driver repaid his team’s labours in full, executing a measured and mature race to finish third on the road, only to be promoted to second place several hours after the chequered flag, and bag his maiden podium.
Here’s how it happened…
SATURDAY 20 JUNE
16:00hrs (local time): Cassidy starts round eight of the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E Championship in 13th place.
16:00…and 30 seconds: The first race of the weekend is over for Cassidy as he collides with the wall on lap one after moving up to 11th place at the start.
16:52: as the race comes to an end on the track, the Envision Racing continue assessing the damage to the number 37 car…and it doesn’t look good.
20:20: “We’ll try and bounce back strong – that’s what sport’s about” – Nick Cassidy.
SUNDAY 21 JUNE
06:24am: First reports emerge that the Envision Racing Formula E Team had worked through the night to repair significant damage to Cassidy’s car which included building up a new car around a fresh tub, such was the result of race one’s impact.
09:00am: Against all the odds, Cassidy’s car is fixed, fully charged, and ready to tackle FP3.
10:00: Cassidy goes out and sets the fourth fastest time…
13:00: Cassidy runs in the third group in qualifying for round nine of the season. The Kiwi racer puts some smiles on his weary team-mates’ faces back in the garage with a grid position of eighth for the second race of the weekend.
16:04: Lights out for round nine of the 021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
16:17: After a good start, Cassidy moves into seventh place and enjoys a tight battle with former champion Sébastien Buemi.
16:32: Fastest lap for Cassidy as he holds sixth position with just over 30 minutes of racing completed.
16:41: Cassidy continues his progress to the top of the standings and moves into fourth position.
16:48: Third place for Cassidy!
16:50: Cassidy powerslides his Envision Racing machine across the line to take his career best result, and first ever Formula E podium.
16:50: News emerges that second place finisher Pascal Wehrlein is under investigation for maximum power overuse.
19:50: The race organisers find Wehrlein engaged in the improper use of fan boost and uphold the decision to penalise the Porsche driver with a five second time penalty. This promotes Cassidy to second place and thus completes the journey from a very broken racing car to a superb result for Envision Racing in Mexico.
