Envision Racing

Tag: formula e

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Podium hat-trick for Cassidy after thriller in Brazil

25 March 2023

ON-SONG NICK CASSIDY FOUGHT FOR VICTORY UNTIL THE VERY END AT THE SAO PAULO E-PRIX 

For the third race in a row, Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy claimed a Formula E podium, with a second place finish at the inaugural São Paulo E-Prix.

That elusive victory proved just 0.284 seconds out of reach after a thrilling battle with the Jaguar Racing cars of eventual winner Mitch Evans, and third-place finisher Sam Bird, meaning Cassidy now sits third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, just 24 points off top spot.

Starting fifth, Cassidy once again showed he and his Envision Racing machine are a certified front-running package. Following on from a hard-fought third place in Cape Town, Cassidy ran at the front all race, pulling off seven overtakes by lap 22, and in the closing stages, refused to give in to a rapid Evans, hustling his fellow New Zealand driver all the way to the flag whilst simultaneously defending from Bird.

Further back, Cassidy’s Envision Racing team-mate Sébastien Buemi had a tough afternoon. Starting 12th, early progress was abruptly halted on lap two by an incident that left him nursing badly injured hands.

But the Swiss driver used all his experience to battle back to 10th at the flag, showing that both Envision Racing cars have pace while bagging a vital point for the team, and helping consolidate second place in the Teams’ standings as Formula E heads back to Europe for the Berlin E-Prix double-header.

QUALIFYING 

Once again, come qualifying time, both Envision Racing drivers showed good pace. Going out on track first in Group A, Cassidy ended up second quickest, again confirming a place in the head-to-head phase. Buemi had to settle for sixth quickest in the second qualifying group, ensuring a starting slot of 12th on the grid.

For Cassidy, In the knockout phase of qualifying, there was to be no repeat of the semi-final appearance enjoyed last time out in Cape Town. The Envision Racing driver was bettered by Edoardo Mortara, and had to settle for fifth place on the starting grid.

THE RACE

Cassidy executed a perfect start, immediately moving up from fifth to fourth as the pack edited the tight opening chicane, with team-mate Buemi also making progress, moving up two places from 12th to 10th.

Buemi’s move through the pack was halted after a coming together Maximilian Günther on lap two, relegating the Envision Racing driver to the rear of the field as he also dealt with painful injuries. Up front, pole position-winner Stoffel Vandoorne maintained his place at the head of the field throughout the opening laps, followed by António Félix da Costa and Evans, who found himself under some serious pressure from compatriot Cassidy.

Cassidy made his way into third place, passing da Costa on lap eight, just as a safety car was deployed to allow for the removal of Sacha Fenestraz’s stricken car. With the stationary Nissan safely off the track, racing resumed on lap 12, as Cassidy set about overhauling the Jaguar of Evans.

With racing back underway, da Costa quickly retook third place from Cassidy as the pack settled back into the rhythm of the race. By lap 13, da Costa was up into second, passing Evans as Cassidy followed suit, with a brave move, to run in the top three once again.

On lap 14 Cassidy powered into the lead on the pit straight, passing two cars, before taking his first Attack Mode of the race, and crucially re-emerging in second place. It wasn’t long until Cassidy was back in the lead, passing Vandoorne to take the initiative as the race hit the halfway mark.

With Cassidy and Envision Racing at the front, a second safety car was triggered by a stationary Jake Dennis. When racing resumed on lap 18, Cassidy headed the pack, with da Costa hot on his heels and Vandoorne in third.

Third became first for Vandoorne as Cassidy and Jean-Éric Vergne took Attack Mode. Now in third place, Cassidy soon found himself back at the front as Vandoorne and Evans took their respective Attack Mode phase. On lap 20, Evans snatched the lead from Cassidy, setting the fastest lap and looking to put daylight between his Jaguar and the Envision Racing machine.    

Evans took another Attack Mode phase on lap 24, allowing Cassidy to lead once more. Behind, a mistake from da Costa relegated the Porsche driver down to seventh. Up front, Cassidy managed to pull a gap of over a second back to Evans.

With the closing laps approaching, the battle between the Kiwi racers was on. Evans managed to cut the gap to Cassidy as the race duration was extended by four laps due to the earlier safety car periods. Behind Evans, his Jaguar team-mate Sam Bird looked to join the fight for the win. At the front, with the four added laps left to run it suddenly became a three-way battle for the lead. Evans grabbed the initiative at turn three, relegating Cassidy to second. 

Despite Evans’ ominous pace, the Envision Racing driver refused to give up, and by the start of the final lap, Cassidy remained close to leader Evans whilst defending from a resurgent Bird in third. It all went down to the wire as a super aggressive Cassidy couldn’t quite get around Evans, but managed to defend from Bird to secure a stunning second place and ensuring three Jaguar-powered cars lock out the podium in Brazil. 

Whilst Cassidy scored a third consecutive podium, his Envision Racing team-mate Buemi fought back to score points with a 10th place finish.

“Before the race I said that I would be super happy with a podium finish,” said Cassidy after the race.

“That was Formula E at its best, so much fun from a driver’s point of view, and I hope it was a good watch for the fans. It was a pretty strategic race, and to finish with Jaguar-powered cars one, two and three is pretty cool.

“I knew to get the win I would have to do something pretty special to beat Mitch (Evans), but that would have been a big risk in terms of losing out and ending up third.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 6):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 86pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Nick Cassidy, 61pts
4. Jean-Éric Vergne, 60pts
5. António Félix da Costa, 58pts
7. Sébastien Buemi, 42pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 6):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 144pts
2. Envision Racing, 103pts
3. Jaguar Racing, 83pts
4. DS Penske, 82pts
5. Avalanche Andretti, 80pts

 

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Envision Racing all set for success as Formula E arrives in Brazil

20 March 2023

SÉBASTIEN BUEMI AND NICK CASSIDY WILL LOOK TO FIGHT AT THE FRONT ONCE AGAIN AS THEY HEAD TO SOUTH AMERICA FOR THE INAUGURAL SAO PAULO E-PRIX

When it comes to motorsport, Brazil has produced some of the greatest drivers of all time. Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi and Rubens Barrichello are just a few that have become household names at the highest level of the sport. It is fitting therefore, that after a gap of five years, the world’s fastest all-electric racing series heads to a continent with a passion for high-speed, wheel-to-wheel action. 

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was scheduled to go to Brazil for the Rio de Janeiro E-Prix, way back in Season 1, however this never happened due to technical and logistical reasons. Fast forward to 2023, and this season’s E-Prix in São Paulo will mark the third consecutive event to be held on a brand new circuit, following on from the Hyderabad E-Prix. and the last race in Cape Town, South Africa.

With Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy sitting fifth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, just two points ahead of team-mate Sébastien Buemi, and the team holding a superb second place in the Team’s Championship order, the upcoming visit to São Paulo could prove to be a happy hunting ground. Both Cassidy and Buemi are within contention for the title after five races so far in 2023, and Envision Racing sit 32 points behind Porsche, totally focused on closing that gap.

THE CHALLENGE IN BRAZIL

The São Paulo Street Circuit measures out at 2.96km, with 11 turns in total, and is partially made up of the layout which hosted IndyCar competition until a decade ago. It comprises three long straights which will test the top speed capabilities of the new GEN3 Formula E machines.

As well as some anticipated high speeds on the São Paulo streets, the drivers will have to negotiate a couple of tricky chicanes, as well as a good mix of tight, 90 degree turns, a tight hairpin and some sweeping corners.

Envision Racing’s Buemi will be hoping for a similar result to one he scored in South America back in 2015. The Swiss driver won the Punta del Este ePrix that year, and with the form and pace shown by the team so far this in 2023, Buemi will be amongst the favourites for victory in São Paulo. 

Key to success for both Envision Racing drivers will be getting to grips with the circuit as quickly as possible in the weekend’s opening practice session, and if the performances displayed at new circuits in India and South Africa are anything to go by, there’s going to be very little to worry about on that score. 

LAST TIME OUT IN SOUTH AFRICA

What a weekend it was in South Africa.

The first ever Cape Town E-Prix was certainly one to remember. Buemi did well to recover from a sizeable accident in the first practice session of the weekend and make it into the qualifying duels. Come race day did even better to come back and finish fifth after being punted off and spun around on the opening lap by championship leader Pascal Wehrlein.

For Buemi’s team-mate, the Cape Town E-Prix provided a platform to stake his claim as a Formula E front-runner and championship contender. Once again in 2023, the green Jaguar-powered Envision Racing machine excelled in qualifying as Cassidy joined Buemi in the knock-out phase of, making it into the semi-finals and lining up a stellar third on the grid.

In the race, Cassidy held the lead during the opening stages, and showed that he and Envision Racing had the pace to challenge for the victory. The Kiwi driver’s hard work paid off on the last lap, as sitting in fourth, Cassidy took advantage of a mistake by third place man Sacha Fenestra  to clinch his second consecutive podium.

After being cruelly denied a third place finish at the Hyderabad E-Prix due to a post-race penalty, Buemi did extremely well to draw on his speed and years of experience to come from last on the opening lap, to end up fifth at the flag.

Drivers standings (after Rd 5):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 50pts
4. António Félix da Costa, 46pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 43pts
6. Sébastien Buemi, 41pts

Team standings (after Rd 5):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 126pts
2. Envision Racing, 84pts
3. Avalanche Andretti, 80pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 66pts
5. DS Penske, 61pts

DID YOU KNOW?

It’s safe to say that the continent of South America contains some pretty big cities. However, none are bigger than the home of this weekend’s E-Prix.

That’s because São Paulo is the most populous city in the Americas, the western hemisphere and also the southern hemisphere. Among its more than 12 million inhabitants includes approximately 1.6 million Japanese-Brazilians living in São Paulo, making it the largest concentration of individuals of Japanese descent outside of Japan.

WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH THE SÃO PAULO E-PRIX (All times GMT)

Free Practice 1 Friday 24 March – 19:25 – 20:15

Free Practice 2 Saturday 25 March – 10:25 – 11:15

Qualifying Saturday 25 March – 12:40 – 13:55

E-Prix Saturday 25 March 17:03 – 18:30

Follow Envision Racing at the Cape Town E-Prix and throughout the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship HERE

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ANOTHER PODIUM FOR CASSIDY BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE IN SOUTH AFRICA

25 February 2023

ENVISION RACING’S NICK CASSIDY CLAIMED 3RD AT THE CAPE TOWN E-PRIX AS THE TEAM LEAP UP TO 2ND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Throughout the two days of the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix, Envision Racing, and in particular Nick Cassidy, looked to be among the favourites for victory come race day.

From qualifying third to leading the early phase of the race, Cassidy continued Envision Racing’s early season promise. At the end of a dramatic and memorable first time out in South Africa, took a well-deserved third place, in a race where the two championship leaders failed to score any points, throwing the battle for both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles wide open.

The result gives Cassidy his second consecutive podium, following a stellar performance last time out at the Hyderabad E-Prix, however for team-mate Sébastien Buemi, the bad luck would continue.

Having cruelly been denied a podium finish in India, Buemi fought back from a practice crash to make the qualifying duels, qualify seventh, and in the E-Prix looked good to join Cassidy in fighting for the top three, if not victory.

These hopes were seriously dented by a wayward Pascal Wehrlein, who smashed into the Swiss driver on just the second lap of the race, forcing him to turn in a calm and measured drive to power from 15th to fifth at the flag.

PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING

It was big drama from the start of the very first Cape Town E-Prix weekend for Envision Racing. In free practice one, Buemi crashed heavily, necessitating a heroic repair job from the team, and in the second practice session, team-mate Cassidy posted the fastest time, underlining the pace of the Jaguar I-Type 6.

Heading out in qualifying Group A, Cassidy loitered near the top of the timings. With a couple of minutes remaining, the Kiwi set the fastest time, ending up second at the session’s close to get a chance to fight it out in the duels.

Playing catch-up, Buemi shrugged off his practice woes, and during the opening minutes of Group B qualifying showed good pace. So good in fact, that the Envision Racing driver clocked the third quickest time, once again progressing alongside team-mate Cassidy, as the session ended prematurely following a nasty collision between Edoardo Mortara and Sam Bird.

In the first quarter final Cassidy faced off against championship leader Wehrlein, dominating the German driver and making it into the semi finals for the first time in 2023. Buemi followed Cassidy out in the third quarter final, taking on Mitch Evans. What started as a tight battle ended when Buemi tapped the wall at turn 7, meaning the Envision Racing driver would end up seventh on the grid.

For Cassidy, it was the semi finals. The opposition, Sacha Fenestraz in the Nissan. Despite catching a rapid Fenestraz in the second half of the lap, Cassidy couldn’t beat the evential pole-position winner to progress into the final, but nevertheless secured a superb third on the grid.

THE RACE

Cassidy made a lightning start, briefly overhauling second-place driver Maximilian Günther, but being forced to settle for third as the cars snaked through the opening sequence of turns.

There was huge drama on the second lap as Buemi, starting seventh and looking to fight his way to the front, was brutally taken out by an out-of-control Wehrlein at turn 10. The collision forced the Porsche driver into retirement, and Buemi down the order to 15th place, triggering a safety car.

Following a three-lap clean-up operation it was game on again, with Günther leading pole-sitter Fenestraz and Cassidy as the race settled down into a waiting game amongst the 15 remaining cars.

By lap eight, Cassidy found himself under pressure from the sole Jaguar of Evans. A lap later, Cassidy slipped into second place, and looked strong, as Fenestraz took his first Attack Mode.

Second place became first as leader Günther took his initial Attack Mode on lap 10, and crucially, the Maserati driver found himself in a close-quarter battle with Fenestraz, allowing Cassidy to pull away and lead a race for the first time this season.

Cassidy elected to take his first Attack Mode phase on lap 14, maintaining his place at the front of the field ahead of Fenestraz and Günther. By the halfway point, the battle was on as Fenestraz keenly pursued leader Cassidy.

On lap 21, Günther’s hopes of victory ended with a crash, promoting António Félix da Costa to third and leading to a full-course yellow. As the race got back underway Cassidy held his lead from new second place man da Costa, with just 1.5 seconds covering the top six cars.

Da Costa used all his skill and experience to pass Cassidy on lap 24 with an artful move, pushing the Envision Racing driver to second, which soon became third as Jean-Éric Vergne took second to set about chasing down da Costa.

As Cassidy moved backwards, team-mate Buemi surged forwards. Recovering from his early-race misfortune, the Envision Racing driver held eighth approaching the closing laps with seventh place and Stoffel Vandoorne in sight.

On lap 28, the Hyderabad E-Prix winner Vergne snatched the lead as da Costa took a late Attack Mode. For Cassidy the focus was now on holding third place and resisting the challenge of Fenestraz.

Two laps later, and with little to choose between remaining battery power, Cassidy lost out to the Nissan of Fenestraz, as the leading duo of Vergne and da Costa pulled away. As the race entered the final two additional laps, da Costa repeated the breathtaking move he pulled earlier in the race on Cassidy to lead from Vergne.

On the final lap, behind the fireworks at the front, Cassidy dramatically retook third as Fenestraz spun at turn 7, meaning the Envision Racing driver just had to fend off Rene Rast in the McLaren to take a second podium on the bounce. Cassidy successfully held on to take a well deserved podium as da Costa triumphed ahead of Vergne.

“I think we have to be happy with the result today,” said Cassidy. “Whenever you finish third in Formula E you have to be happy and I have to walk away with a smile. Part of me thinks we should have won that race, and the full-course yellow really hurt us and it changed the energy of the race, but that’s motorsport.”

Behind Cassidy, Buemi did exceptionally well to battle back to a brilliant fifth to score vital points for his championship hunt and the Team’s Championship standings. That first victory of the year continues to elude Envision Racing, but the team have shown to be genuine frontrunners, as they head to another new track in Brazil for the Sao Paulo E-Prix.

“What a weekend it has been in Cape Town, a fantastic track and a fantastic venue,” said Sylvain Filippi, Director & CTO at Envision Racing. “It all started with quite a challenge following Seb’s crash in practice, and the team did a brilliant job to rebuild the car overnight. As soon as we overcame that we were fast all weekend with both cars reaching the duels in qualifying.

“In the race, Seb was unlucky to be tagged, but put in an amazing recovery drive, and Nick finishing on the podium again, plus two cars in the top five is a fantastic result.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 5):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 50pts
4. António Félix da Costa, 46pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 43pts
6. Sébastien Buemi, 41pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 5):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 126pts
2. Envision Racing, 84pts
3. Avalanche Andretti, 80pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 66pts
5. DS Penske, 61pts

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CAPE TOWN E-PRIX PREVIEW: AN EXCITING NEW CHALLENGE FOR ENVISION RACING

21 February 2023

NICK CASSIDY AND SÉBASTIEN BUEMI WILL LOOK TO TAKE EARLY SEASON SPEED AND SOME STRONG PERFORMANCES TO SOUTH AFRICA

For the second consecutive race, Envision Racing heads to uncharted territory, and visits a brand new country in South Africa, and a fresh challenge in the shape of the Cape Town Street Circuit.

The inaugural Cape Town E-Prix follows hot on the heels of a dramatic first time out in India, and the Hyderabad E-Prix. Both Envision Racing drivers were at the sharp end, with Nick Cassidy claiming his first podium finish of the year, whilst Sébastien Buemi ended up third on the road, but was harshly penalised after the race.

THE CIRCUIT

The Cape Town E-Prix will be the fifth race of the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and it promises to be a pretty spectacular setting for the world’s fastest all-electric motorsport series.

Cape Town is renowned as a cosmopolitan city, surrounded by stunning nature, a picture postcard coast line, beautiful golden beaches, dramatic terrain, and serves as one of South Africa’s three capital cities. The odds look good that the new 2.94km, 12-turn street circuit will serve up some serious drama.

Looming over the Cape Town Street Circuit is Table Mountain, one of the new seven wonders of the world, and the Mother City is also known for its award-winning food and wine, and sheer variety of experiences on offer. Not that the two Envision Racing chargers will have any time to indulge in any of that.

As with the previous round in India, both Buemi and Cassidy will look to dial in to the new circuit as soon as possible, during the crucial opening practice sessions, ahead of the all important qualifying.

The newest challenge on the Formula E calendar will see the GEN3 cars wind their way through Cape Town’s Green Point and Waterfront districts. Organisers state that this new street circuit is expected to be one of the quickest the drivers will face, allowing the faster and more efficient 350kW GEN3 machines to really stretch their legs.

Come race time, the 22 drivers will line up alongside the Green Point precinct’s Vlei Road, looking forward to a 90 degree left turn into Helen Suzman Boulevard, followed by another left-hand flick into Granger Bay Boulevard.

Some speed will need to be scrubbed off as two tight chicanes are negotiated, and these will be crucial to setting a strong lap in qualifying. Following another 90 degree left turn, the scene is set for a flowing remainder of the lap which runs along the oceanfront on Mouille Point’s Beach Road, before the final sharp left-hander into Fritz Sonnenberg Road and the dash to the finish line.

LAST TIME OUT IN HYBERABAD

Envision Racing used the brand new Hyderabad E-Prix as a venue to prove the team are genuine contenders in 2023. The inaugural race in India proved to be one to remember for the team, however it wasn’t without some pain.

For driver of the day Nick Cassidy, there was plenty to celebrate. The Kiwi driver was within an overtake of victory, only for a stubborn defence from eventual race-winner Jean-Éric Vergne to deny Cassidy a second career E-Prix victory.

The Envision Racing driver combined canny energy-saving with some stellar overtakes to surge from tenth on the grid to second place, and Cassidy should have been joined on the podium by team-mate Sébastien Buemi.

In India, for the fourth consecutive time this season, Buemi was flying in qualifying, again making the head-to-head stages, and ending up third on the grid. The Swiss driver looked strong in the first half of the race, settling into a race-winning position before fading slightly as the race approached the final laps.

Despite this, Buemi rallied, and at the chequered flag, crossed the line third on the road seemingly giving Envision Racing a double podium. This wasn’t to be.

Following the race, Buemi was slapped with a retrospective drive-through, later converted to a 30-second penalty for an overuse of power. As a result there was no second podium finish of the year, and Buemi would end up 15th, denting his early-season points-scoring momentum.

Despite this, on the eve of the Cape Town E-Prix, Buemi sits fourth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, tied on points with Jean-Éric Vergne. Cassidy is just one place and three points behind his team-mate, meaning both Envision Racing drivers are in the championship hunt.

The strong start to the season for Buemi and Cassidy means that Envision Racing are sitting pretty in the Teams’ Championship, sitting third in the standings, six points ahead of McLaren, and will look to use the new track in Cape Town as a base to close the gap to Andretti and leaders Porsche.

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 4):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 31pts
4. Sébastien Buemi, 31pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 28pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 4):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 101pts
2. Avalanche Andretti, 78pts
3. Envision Racing, 59pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 53pts
5. Jaguar TCS Racing, 42pts

https://twitter.com/Envision_Racing/status/1625164351572246529

CAPE TOWN E-PRIX SCHEDULE (all times BST)

Friday 24 February: Free Practice 1 – 14:55 – 15:45

Saturday 25 February: Free Practice 2 – 07:05 – 07:55

Saturday 25 February: Qualifying – 09:40 – 10:55

Saturday 25 February: Race – 14:03 – 15:30

Follow Envision Racing at the Cape Town E-Prix and throughout the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship HERE

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DIRIYAH E-PRIX NEXT FOR ENVISION RACING AFTER A STRONG START IN MEXICO

24 January 2023

ENVISION RACING’S CHARGERS BOTH SCORED POINTS IN THE SEASON-OPENING MEXICO CITY E-PRIX AND ARE HUNGRY FOR MORE IN SAUDI ARABIA

The new, faster and more efficient era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicked off in style in Mexico with some heated battles, and plenty of tension at the historic Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, located just outside the sprawling capital city.

And It is safe to say that Envision Racing’s first ever GEN3 race was something to smile about as the team came away from the Mexico City E-Prix with both cars in the points.

In his debut for the team, former Formula E champion Sébastien Buemi enjoyed a solid race, qualifying seventh and ending up one better at the chequered flag, claiming sixth, and with it, eight points.

Not too far behind the Swiss ace was his team-mate Nick Cassidy. The Kiwi enjoyed strong late-race pace, powering his Jaguar I-Type 6 from 12th on the grid to ninth, continuing his top 10 finishing streak from the back end of last season.

TIME TO FOCUS ON THE STREETS

 

For the last three seasons the streets of Diriyah have provided the setting for the opening round of the Formula E season. This year it will host rounds two and three of the 2022–23 Formula E World Championship, and it is a stark change from the wide open spaces of the season’s curtain raiser in Mexico.

Typifying the diversity of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Diriyah Street Circuit, located just outside the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, offers a tough and unforgiving challenge.

It is also a race for night owls, and night vision will be key. The bright blue skies of Mexico City will be replaced by darkness come race time, with floodlights illuminating the path the drivers must take to ascend to victory, and they will have to do it not once, but twice at the first double-header event of the year.

This means, with one race on the Friday and another on the Saturday, there are big points up for grabs in Saudi Arabia.

THE CIRCUIT

The route of the 2.495km, 21-turn circuit runs alongside the city’s historic and spectacular walls, which are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. There won’t be any time for Buemi of Cassidy to do any sightseeing, as the high speed sections require absolute razor sharp focus.

In fact, the Diriyah Street Circuit is regarded by the drivers as one of the toughest challenges on the 16-race calendar. Fast and bumpy, it’s probably the closest any of them get to a bobsleigh run, but master the snaking sequence of corners between Turn 6 and Turn 10 with a mix of speed and calculated precision, and huge amounts of time can be found.

100 NOT OUT FOR BUEMI

Envision Racing’s new signing Sébastien Buemi is, put simply, a legend of motorsport, and the ex-Formula one racing, multi-Le Mans 24 Hour winning driver will be notching up a notable milestone under the lights of the Diriyah Street Circuit.

Champion of Formula E’s second season back in 2015-16, Buemi will start his 100th series race in Saudi Arabia, joining rivals Lucas di Grassi, Jean-Éric Vergne and Jaguar Racing’s Sam Bird in clocking up a century of starts.

DID YOU KNOW…?

Saudi Arabia might be the 13th largest country in the world, but it isn’t a place to go if you fancy seeing any rivers. That’s because there aren’t any. Or any natural lakes for that matter.

With zero permanent or natural rivers, 95% of the country is considered a desert or semidesert, and under two percent of the country’s land is arable. To make up for the lack of rivers, there is plenty of coastline on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH

The weekend’s opening practice session for the 2023 Diriyah E-Prix gets underway at 18:00 local time, so that is 15.00 BST, on Thursday 26 January.

The second chance for the drivers to get to grips with the circuit before qualifying follows at 10.30 BST on Friday, with Qualifying getting underway from 12:40 BST.

The gloves come off at 17:00hrs BST when round two of the season gets underway.

On Saturday, free practice three gets underway at 10:30 BST on Saturday with Qualifying next up at 12:40 BST, with the final race of the weekend  at 17:00 BST

Keep up to date with EnvisIon Racing’s fortunes at the Diriyah E-Prix HERE

Find out all the ways to watch where you are.

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DOUBLE POINTS FOR ENVISION RACING AT THE MEXICO E-PRIX

14 January 2023

SÉBASTIEN BUEMI KICKED OFF HIS ENVISION RACING CAREER WITH A STELLAR SIXTH AS GEN3 DELIVERED THE THRILLS AND SPILLS IN MEXICO CITY

Envision Racing’s new boy Sébastien Buemi showed pace and class as an exciting new chapter for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicked off in Mexico City with the GEN3 era, the fastest, most efficient iteration of the series, and both Buemi and team-mate Nick Cassidy showed that they are ready to fight for success in 2023.

Buemi drove superbly, calling upon all of his world class racecraft, mixing attack and defence with some serious pace from his Envision Racing machine, to take sixth place with the podium well in his sights.

Envision Racing team-mate Cassidy had plenty to be cheerful about under blue skies at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Kiwi driver got his head down, kept out of trouble and managed to bring it home ninth to score two vital points. 

In qualifying, Buemi proved to be no slouch in the first ever GEN3 session, propelling his Jaguar I-Type 6 into the head-to-head shootout, only to narrowly lose out to eventual pole position-winner Lucas di Grassi.

Buemi would start the Mexico City E-Prix a solid seventh, whilst team-mate Cassidy got his campaign underway from 12th on the grid.

THE RACE

MEXICO E-PRIX

All 22 drivers executed a sensible start to the opening race of the season, and by the time the first lap of the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was complete, Buemi found himself in eighth with Cassidy running 13th as a safety car was triggered due to a collision between Robin Frijns and Norman Nato.

The race got back underway, minus Frijns and Nato, on lap six, only for an almost instantaneous second safety car period actioned as a result of Sam Bird’s stricken Jaguar at turn two. At the restart, Di Grassi led Jake Dennis ,as Buemi looked to find a way around Formula E rookie Sacha Fenestraz. 

By lap 14, Buemi made his way back to where he started, taking seventh and hounding Fenestraz. Meanwhile, with an Attack Mode advantage, Cassidy made his way back to his 12th place to slot in behind reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne.

Buemi elected to trigger his first Attack Mode phase on lap 15, slipping back to eighth behind António Félix da Costa. The Swiss ace engaged in a mouth-watering duel with his fellow former champion, before a third safety car was sent out as the Maserati of Edoardo Mortara spun into the barriers at turn one.

Restart number three was headed by Dennis from di Grassi and Jake Hughes, as Buemi continued his pursuit of da Costa with Mitch Evans following the Envision Racing man. On lap 26, Buemi claimed seventh place to resume his chase of Fenestraz as things started to heat up at the front of the field.

Seventh became sixth for Buemi a lap later as Fenestraz deviated to take Attack Mode. Next on Buemi’s hit list was the Avalanche Andretti of Andre Lotterer. Could Buemi reel in the German driver as the race entered the closing laps?

The answer was yes, as the Envision Racing driver slashed Lotterer’s advantage. Eight laps were added to the original 36-lap race duration as a result of the three safety car interruptions, but could Buemi make his way by and up into fifth? 

Buemi’s quest for the top five was helped as Lotterer engaged in some close quarter combat with Hughes. The squabble meant that as the race approached the final three laps, Buemi could smell a podium place as the final car in a bracing four-way scrap for third before da Costa joined the train to try and wrestle sixth from Buemi.

On the final lap, Buemi was forced to defend from da Costa, which he did artfully to cross the line in sixth, as up front Dennis won convincingly from Pascal Wehrlein and di Grassi. Not to far behind Buemi, Cassidy kept his nose clean to end up a creditable ninth in Mexico City and kick off the year with a well-earned 10 points for the team.

“My first weekend with Envision Racing and the GEN3 era, and I am really happy with sixth place,” commented Buemi. “I think we actually could have achieved a slightly better result, and we finished the race with a lot of energy remaining, and we had good pace. A small mistake in qualifying meant I wasn’t as fast as I could have been and could have ended up higher on the grid, but all in all I think it has been a very good weekend. The team has done an amazing job and to get both cars in the points and sixth and ninth is a great result. I’m full of confidence and looking forward to the next race in Riyadh.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 1):
1. Jake Dennis, 26pts
2. Pascal Wehrlein, 18pts
3. Lucas di Grassi , 18pts
4. Andre Lotterer, 12pts
5. Jake Hughes, 10pts
6. Sébastien Buemi, 8pts
9. Nick Cassidy, 2pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 1):
1. Avalanche Andretti, 38pts
2. Porsche Formula E Team, 24pts
3. Mahindra Racing, 18pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 10pts
5. Envision Racing, 10pts

 

 

LATEST NEWS

ENVISION RACING ALL SET FOR A FORMULA E TITLE SHOWDOWN IN BERLIN

10 August 2021

The Berlin E-Prix promises to be one of the most manic finales in top-level motorsport history with the Drivers’ crown and the Teams’ title within reach for Robin Frijns, Nick Cassidy and Envision Racing

The 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been an absolute rollercoaster ride. With two races remaining at Berlin’s historic Tempelhof airport it is a good time to be a mathematician as, with a maximum of 50 points up for grabs, no fewer than 17 drivers are mathematically in contention for the Drivers’ Championship.

Envision Racing find themselves at the top of the Teams’ standings, and in the Drivers’ Championship just 15 points separate the top five with Robin Frijns sitting in second place, just six points behind the championship leader and fellow Dutchman Nyck de Vries. In seventh place is Frijns’ Kiwi team-mate Nick Cassidy enters the final weekend of the championship just 19 points off the top spot.

It is safe to say that the final weekend of the 2020/21 Formula E season will be one of the most hotly contested events in recent motorsport memory. Both Frijns and Cassidy could be world champions and help Envision Racing win the Teams’ title without having scored an E-Prix victory all year.

Frijns has already stated he doesn’t mind if he wins an E-Prix or not en route to a maiden Formula E title. The unflappable and experienced Dutch driver will not be phased by the pressure (and potential chaos) of the Berlin E-Prix as he looks to come out on top in the German capital.

“It is going to be a pretty intense weekend”, said Frijns. “It is great to be second in the Drivers’ championship with only the two races to go, but it is so close that anything could happen in Berlin. I enjoy the circuit and have done well in the past there, but a lot will depend on qualifying and how we get on going out again in Q1 for the first race. If I can get some big points, we will be looking good.

“It is also good to be heading the Teams’ championship and obviously the ideal scenario would be to win both, but everything is still to play for. We’ll give it our best shot and, if Nick and me can get some good points for the team, we will hopefully leave Berlin as champions.”

 

TOP OF THE TEAMS WITH TWO RACES LEFT

They might have scored no victories this season, but Envision Racing’s winless wonders Robin Frijns and Nick Cassidy, backed up by a team that Frijns described as a “very talented, dedicated team who are doing a phenomenal job,” are right at the front.

In what has been a completely unpredictable season, the team find themselves seven points ahead of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team who have a hat-trick of E-Prix wins, and it is likely that nobody will know who the new Teams’ champions are until every car has crossed the finish line on Sunday… and it might even be a few hours later until all is confirmed.

“We are excited to head to Berlin in such a good position in the standings”, said Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director and CTO at Envision Racing. “Every detail matters in Formula E, every marginal gain counts; and this result is testament to all the hard work, dedication, and talent of the whole team, on and off the track. Our team is the best it has ever been, and I am really proud of the tremendous job they have done this season, no matter what happens in Berlin.

“But we cannot, and will not, rest on our laurels. Formula E is unpredictable by nature – both championships are really close and nobody can predict what will happen in Berlin, but it is for sure going to be a fiercely competitive weekend. So we will maintain our focus and work our hardest and keep fighting for the championship until the very last second.”

Teams’ standings (after Rd 13):

1. Envision Racing, 165pts
2. Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team, 158pts
3. Jaguar Racing, 156pts
4. DS Techeetah, 148pts
5 BMW i Andretti Motorsport, 142pts

 

TWO DRIVERS IN THE TOP 7

Predicting this season’s Formula E championship has been like nailing jelly to the wall. The qualification format has resulted in the respective championship front runners qualifying first and generally disadvantaging them in terms of grid position.

Despite not winning a race in 2021, Frijns in particular has been masterful in his ability to fight from the back of the pack and pick up points, surviving collisions and coming home in a calculated and mature way.

But if Robin Frijns has been the wise owl of Formula E in 2021, then team-mate Nick Cassidy has been the dark horse and the season’s breakout success story.

From the Envision Racing camp all eyes have been on Frijns as a title contender, but after a memorable weekend in Mexico back in June, rookie Cassidy kicked off a chain of results that have built an unlikely title challenge.

It all started from the pits of despair with a severely damaged car in race one at the Puebla E-Prix. But following a heroic overnight rebuild from the Envision Racing team, Cassidy went out in race two and finished a superb second place. Since then, he has been showing great pace in qualifying and combining it with strong race craft to upset the established order in Formula E.

“I am really happy to go to Berlin with a chance to win the championship, especially in my rookie year, and have a genuine shot at the title. It is more than I anticipated and has exceeded my own expectations”, commented Cassidy. “However, I am a racing driver and I want to win, so am still focussed on achieving the best results I can this weekend. Overall, I think we’ve had great momentum in the last few rounds so I’ll look to continue like that and build on it. If we can keep up the great teamwork we’ve had until now, maintain our focus, and execute the way we know we can, we’ll definitely be in with a shot.

“Berlin is a challenging track, especially with the reversed layout. Qualifying will be important, but there are places to overtake, and we have a quick car and good pace both in qualifying and race, so bring it on.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 13):

1. Nyck de Vries 95pts
2. Robin Frijns, 89pts
3. Sam Bird, 81pts
4. Jake Dennis, 81pts
5. António Félix da Costa, 80pts
6. Alex Lynn, 78pts
7. Nick Cassidy, 76pts

 

QUALIFYING WILL BE KEY

The 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has arguably been defined by the qualifying format.

With the top six in the championship standings qualifying first, and therefore generally disadvantaged in terms of favourable track conditions, it is unlikely that Frijns will start near the front of the field.

There is a good chance he will have to call on his season-defining skills of battling through the pack and making finely balanced overtakes to move forward and outscore his championship rivals.

Cassidy, however, will qualify in the Q2 group as he holds seventh in the Drivers’ Championship order. This could provide a chance for a decent grid position and to bag some solid points for the team, himself and maybe help team-mate Frijns in the process.

What will happen on Sunday in qualifying and the race is anyone’s guess….

 

THE BERLIN TEMPELHOF CIRCUIT

Once again, the season finale will take place on the giant apron section of the architecturally spectacular Berlin Tempelhof Airport, and there is nothing straight forward about the two races that will bring the curtain down on Season 7.

Last year Berlin hosted six thrilling races to end the season as Antonio Felix da Costa also secured his first-ever title in a season hugely impacted by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Now in 2021 drivers will be faced with two circuits over two days on the high-grip concrete, with the pack tackling the traditional anti-clockwise layout before it shifts direction for the very final race of the 2020/21 season.

The circuit meanders its way around the giant apron section of Tempelhof Airport where numerous strategy calls will be implemented and drivers will be fighting for the Teams’ and Drivers’ titles right up until the chequered flag is waved on Sunday afternoon.

 

MEMORABLE BERLIN MOMENTS

 

HOW TO WATCH

For full details and timings, please click here: https://www.fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch

You can do more than just watch – you can also play your part in helping the team by voting for Nick Cassidy and Robin Frijns on FanBoost here: https://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/