Autosport Top 50 of 2023: #8 Nick Cassidy

Just as impressive as taking four wins in Formula E, which put Nick Cassidy firmly in title contention, was that the first three victories came from eighth or lower on the grid, the Envision driver optimising Jaguar’s powertrain on race day.

He managed energy consumption in the second Berlin race to perfection to lead nearly half the distance, and expertly timed his move to the front in Monaco to claim back-to-back wins and the standings lead.

His dominant win in monsoon conditions during the season-ending London E-Prix, overcoming the disappointment of losing the title 24 hours earlier, means he just pips Jake Dennis in our ranking.

Where Cassidy lost the title

Statistics show that both Dennis and Cassidy failed to score points on four occasions during the 2023 campaign. But while the Brit’s problems occurred early on, Cassidy’s misfortune came when it mattered most.

Having finished runner-up to Jaguar’s Mitch Evans in the opening Rome E-Prix after shadowing his fellow Kiwi, Cassidy sat five points clear of Dennis at the top of the standings with just three races remaining. And come the sequel in Rome, Cassidy looked well placed as he followed polesitter Dennis with the knowledge that the Andretti driver had faded badly the previous day.

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Nick Cassidy's misfortunes in 2023 came at the wrong time, when well-placed in Rome

But any chance of another victory ended when Evans, running directly behind, locked up and clattered over the rear of Cassidy’s Envision on lap two which took both out of contention. Cassidy finished with a damaged car outside the points and trailed Dennis by 24 points heading into the deciding London double-header.

Yet even there Cassidy looked capable of taking the title battle down to the wire, inheriting pole position for the opening contest – Evans having been hit with a five-place grid penalty for his Rome misdemeanour – and remaining in the lead even after activating both Attack Modes.

But again contact, this time with team-mate Sebastien Buemi after being shuffled down the pack and a mix-up in communication, damaged his front wing which required a pitstop and ultimately meant Cassidy failed in his efforts at a maiden Formula E title.

But Cassidy’s title challenge had not just come down to the non-scores in Rome and London. He initially struggled to get fully on top of the new Gen3 car across the opening races, which included a non-score in Diriyah 2 as he failed to make progress after starting 15th.

There were also three fewer podiums than Dennis during the 16-race season, taking until the fourth race in Hyderabad before visiting the rostrum, and there was another non-score in Jakarta 1 after a clash with Pascal Wehrlein when in the points.

It all added up to leave Cassidy 30 points behind Dennis in the standings after a season where he could quite easily have walked away as a worthy title winner.