Jaguar driver Nick Cassidy took the top spot at the first race of the 2025 London E-Prix.
Cassidy’s teammate, Mitch Evans, started on pole after edging out Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries in Saturday’s qualifying duels.
Evans got away well, holding onto the lead into the first corner, leading the pack outside into the London air. It wasn’t long before we had our first safety car of the session, after DS Penske’s Maximilian Günther took damage at Turn 4. Günther was squeezed by Edoardo Mortara, taking damage to his front left. The incident was reviewed by stewards, who decided to take no further action against Mortara for his role in the collision.
Early safety car
Günther tried to peel off to the side but, unable to turn, came to an awkward stop at the exit of Turn 6 — causing a traffic jam and bringing out the yellow flags. Jake Hughes was another early retiree, having taken damage to the suspension of his Maserati in the melee. There was stress for Hughes’ teammate, and fellow Brit, Taylor Barnard, who dropped towards the back of the pack with fears of a potential puncture.
The safety car came back in at the end of Lap 3 and racing got back underway. Evans was still in the lead, followed by Nyck de Vries and Pascal Wehrlein. Nick Cassidy was up one spot into P4 with Dan Ticktum in P5, and eying up a home podium.
There was little in it between the drivers, each sitting right on the tail of the car in front of them. Things were looking bright for Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy, who hopped on the radio on Lap 10 to shower his team with praise, saying his car was “the best it’s been all year”. A charge to the front from the Kiwi was looking possible.
Little had changed by Lap 15 — bar a five-second penalty for Taylor Barnard for a safety car infraction. A further blow to the 20-year-old’s hopes of finishing P2 in the Championship.
Pit Boost window opens
The Pit Boost window opened on Lap 16, with Sam Bird the first driver to dive into the pits. Vandoorne, Vergne, Buemi and Nato followed him into the pits shortly after, while the rest of the pack began to opt for their first mandatory Attack Mode.
De Vries and Wehrlein were the first two front runners to take Attack Mode — whole Nick Cassidy headed to the pits. De Vries slipped past Evans under Attack Mode, nabbing the race lead. Evans then came under pressure from Wehrlein, the German making a move around the outside to take P2, Evans slipping down to third.
On Lap 22 Cassidy, down in P10, was doing well to hold off the rest of the pack as Pit Boost leader, the majority of which had their first Attack Mode boost under their belt. The top nine were all still yet to pit.
De Vries pitted on Lap 25, having opened up a nice four-second gap over Wehrlein. The Porsche driver followed soon after, emerging behind Nick Cassidy. Mahindra, however, had played the game well, as De Vries rejoined the pack as leader.
Edoardo Mortara was hit with a black and orange flag on Lap 27 — a message to the team that he had damaged that needed to be fixed.
Cassidy, meanwhile, had gained on Nyck de Vries and was looking strong. De Vries knuckled down and tried to defend from Cassidy. But the Jaguar driver, armed with Attack Mode, had the upper hand on pace and got ahead of the Dutchman on the start-finish straight.
With just ten laps left, Lola’s Lucas di Grassi was slapped with a five-second penalty for crossing the pit exit line. Frustrating for the team, who were running in P18 and P20, di Grassi ahead of his rookie teammate.
Late race incidents
Lap 32 saw Ticktum and Evans come together, the Jaguar driver spinning out. Evans managed to rejoin — but was now towards the back of the pack and out of points contention. One lap later, Ticktum, after attempting a move on Bird, locked up and went straight on at Turn 9. Out came the yellow flags and the second safety car of the race.
Racing got back underway on Lap 35, with Cassidy, De Vries, and Wehrlein making up the top three. Vandoorne was in P4, Dennis in P5 and Vergne in P6.
One extra lap was added, to compensate for time lost under the safety car. Cassidy steadily opened a gap between himself and De Vries, eking out 1.5s over the Dutchman. Further back, Müller’s race came undone as he collided with the barriers.
What does this mean for the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship?
Cassidy is now third in the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of Barnard and Da Costa.
Porsche retains the Championship lead, 37 points over rival Nissan.
