Shanghai ePrix recap - Jaguar's Nick Cassidy claims first victory of season with masterclass drive in wet conditions, Porsche claim double podium

Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy claimed his first victory since Berlin 2024 with a masterclass drive around the wet conditions in a challenging Shanghai ePrix. 

Cassidy held a seven-second lead over the reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein, who finished in second place after trying to catch the speedy Jaguar throughout the delayed race.

Wehrlein was joined on the podium by his team-mate, Antonio Felix da Costa, who sealed a double podium finish for Porsche.

This result catapults Porsche up to second place in the constructors’ standings, sitting 25 points behind the championship leaders, Nissan.

Championship leader, Oliver Rowland, suffered =his worst result of the season with a 13th-placed finish in the race, although he still leads the drivers’ standings comfortably.

The race was delayed by an hour and 30 minutes as the wet conditions on track caused an early end to qualifying as well as a safety car rolling start to the race.

An emotional Nick Cassidy relished his first victory in over a year, leading the race from start to finish with a masterclass performance in the wet.

Cassidy earned his first pole position of the season, which he converted to a win after executing a perfect strategy to end up with a seven-second winning margin over the reigning champion.

Cassidy said: "I mean, look, massive highlight this weekend.

"Really proud of all our guys.

"Qualifying fourth yesterday was huge for us.

"We're in the game, and I'm just proud that we came back today.

"You know, our pace was absolutely unbelievable. So what a race.

"I just, I just feel like there have been so many wins that probably should have been ours at the end of last season that never happened.

"And it feels like I've been waiting a long time.

"So that's certainly on your mind when you go through those last couple laps, and now to kind of get that monkey off your back is awesome.

"But I'm so happy, my mum and dad are here this weekend. It's super nice to have them from New Zealand, and Natalia and Milo are watching at home.

"I mean, I've got such a good group of people around me.

"Jeff, my race engineer, has been awesome this year as well. I've got, you know, Kaz, I got Fabs, I got, I got Phil Ingram.

"Such a good group of people, you know, on the other car and management level as well.

"So it's nice being in that environment. And I'm sure we're going to enjoy the rest of the year."

The reigning champion settled for a second-placed finish after trying to challenge winner Nick Cassidy throughout the race.

Pascal Wehrlein earned his fourth podium of the season in Shanghai, which catapulted him back up to second place in the drivers' standings behind Oliver Rowland who finished outside the points.

Wehrlein said: "Yeah, very tricky conditions, especially in the beginning.

"I think it got a little bit better towards the end, but yeah, I think our pace was good, not good enough for P1, but we were quite far ahead of the guys behind.

"Personally I'm very happy about the result today, because today was the first time that I felt like we were very competitive in the wet, which was not the case in Tokyo and Monaco.

"So yeah, very happy about that. And I think we found a good way there.

"In the end, a happy end here for us.

"We are pushing hard for the teams and the constructors' championship, because to be honest, that is more likely than the drivers.

"I think the gap there is probably just too big.

"Yeah, so we are fighting hard and there will be six more important races coming."

Antonio Felix da Costa sealed a double podium finish for Porsche, picking up his 27th career podium in Formula E with a third-placed finish in the Shanghai ePrix.

Da Costa held on to a top-three finish throughout the challenging race that saw a handful of drivers spin off track.

Da Costa said: "Yeah, honestly, it was very hard from inside the car.

"I felt like my balance wasn't quite there. I really struggled with the rear, so it wasn't enjoyable, and it was very hard to keep the car on track.

"And I was slow, to be honest, I was just slow, but good enough for a podium.

"Again, two cars from the team on the podium. That's always positive.

"And yeah, happy for Nick. He did a really good job.

"Good points. I think the constructors' and teams' championship is our goal now. So good day for that.

"Starting second and finishing third is not ideal.

"In the beginning, I thought we had something, but then it was clear to me that I didn't have the pace of the two cars in front.

"So it's all about just bringing the podium home.

"I think the focus will turn a bit to the teams and constructors, rather than on the drivers.

"Oliver's got a nice, a nice, comfy lead.

"We never know. It's not, it's not easy here, it's not, it's never predictable, but it's hard to get 100 points on someone like Oli and Nissan, it's never over."

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Nick Cassidy is victorious once again in Formula E after waiting over a year since his last win in Berlin. The Jaguar driver led the race from start to finish after rainfall delayed the start of the Shanghai ePrix by an hour and a half.

Porsche settled for the second and third steps of the podium, as both Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa were unable to reach the Jaguar driver who finished with a seven-second advantage over Wehrlein. The German motorsport giants have picked up some crucial points in the constructors' standings with this magnificent result.

Energy levels across the field have been depleted, with Oliver Rowland running on 12.5% heading into Lap 30. The driver he is looking to overtake, Mitch Evans, has 11% energy left in the fight for crucial points in the standings. Rowland managed to pull off the move and climb up to 13th place around the hairpin as his ATTACK MODE ran out on the entry to Lap 31.

Nick Cassidy seems to be experiencing an entirely different race, as he comfortably cruises around the Shanghai International Circuit without a hint of struggle on the wet surface. Cassidy has been in excellent form today, making zero mistakes on his way to the victory. The race leader has 11% energy left, while his nearest competitors in the Porsche drivers have less than 5%.

The Jaguar driver led the race from start to finish, claiming his first win of the season with a true masterclass drive in the wet conditions.

There have been three added laps to the Shanghai ePrix as the race started with a safety car and rolling start. This gives the drivers the opportunity to extend their strategy just a little bit longer, especially if they have some ATTACK MODE to finish. As the race is more than 70% complete, full points would be rewarded if the race was to end in a safety car or red flag finish.

Nick Cassidy's ATTACK MODE has ended on Lap 26 as he leads Pascal Wehrlein by 10.3 seconds. Wehrlein decided to use his final four minutes of ATTACK MODE in the closing stages of the race, but it was nowhere near enough to reach the Jaguar on track.

Wehrlein's real competitor in this race is his teammate, Antonio Felix da Costa, who was slowly catching the reigning champion using ATTACK MODE. Meanwhile, Jean Eric Vergne has climbed up to fifth place using ATTACK MODE, tailing Jake Hughes in fourth place on Lap 28.

Finally, Oliver Rowland deployed his final four minutes of ATTACK MODE on Lap 28. The championship leader sat in 17th place on Lap 28, certainly his worst position of the season so far. There may not be enough time to climb up into the points as the Nissan driver left his ATTACK MODE deployment far too late into the race.

On Lap 22, Nick Cassidy deployed his final six minutes of ATTACK MODE while in the lead of the Shanghai ePrix. He held a five-second lead over Pascal Wehrlein on Lap 21, and has controlled the race so far from the beginning. The Jaguar driver has certainly had a tough season, with this being his first pole position of the year.

Behind, Taylor Barnard and Edoardo Mortara have also used their ATTACK MODE on Lap 23 as they hope to avoid any penalties during possible safety cars. The McLaren driver has climbed to 14th place after a tricky qualifying, tailing Mitch Evans in the hunt for a position in the points-scoring positions. Meanwhile, Oliver Rowland runs in 15th place on Lap 23 as he struggles with the tricky conditions.

An eager Zane Maloney ran wide into the corner while using his ATTACK MODE to fight Jake Dennis for 11th place. He is one of the handful of drivers who have run wide or spun off the track when hitting a wet spot on the circuit.

Ahead, Antonio Felix da Costa decided to use his final six minutes of ATTACK MODE at the beginning of Lap 24, hoping to overtake his teammate for second place and challenge Cassidy for the win. However, Cassidy has pulled 10.6s away from Wehrlein in second place, so da Costa will have to be excruciatingly quick if he wants to claim a victory in China.

Oliver Rowland is nowhere to be seen in what should have been a glorious weekend for Nissan. The championship leader is stuck in 13th place with just one ATTACK MODE deployment left on Lap 18. His teammate, Norman Nato, is down in 20th place, having failed to gain any places in the last few laps. The visibility in the back of the pack is much worse than the front and midfield as the back runners have to put up with the spray from the other cars.

At the front, however, Nick Cassidy has pulled 5.8s away from Pascal Wehrlein who was running in second place on Lap 18. Cassidy possessed 5% more energy than Wehrlein, who suffered from a small spin after running wide onto the grass a few laps earlier. More drivers are struggling to stay on track, including Dan Ticktum, who slid into Turn 7 and briefly spun in the middle of the track.

Maximilian Gunther is slowly on track during Lap 20, with a red signal on his car. Yesterday's race winner lost all power and tried to make it back to the pits, but stopped in the middle of an escape road to avoid a safety car hindering the race. A technical problem put a damper on Penske's wonderful weekend that could have seen a double podium.

Robin Frijns is the only driver on track with two ATTACK MODE deployments left, which is the most advantageous move a driver could have in Formula E. On Lap 13, there were no drivers using ATTACK MODE as they cruised around the field, hoping to find some grip in their tyres. The reigning champion, Pascal Wehrlein, ran wide heading into the hairpin as he struggled with the conditions on track. There is still water on track, which can catch drivers out if they run ever so slightly wide. The racing line is beginning to show, however.

Meanwhile, Nick Cassidy managed to create a five-second gap to Wehrlein running in second place on Lap 14 as he comfortably led the Shanghai ePrix. The Porsche drivers followed behind with 3% less energy than the race leader, although Antonio Felix da Costa looked much stronger than his teammate on Lap 15. Both da Costa and Cassidy have six minutes of ATTACK MODE left, while Wehrlein only has four.

Behind, Nyck de Vries and Robin Frijns both decided to use four minutes of their ATTACK MODE to climb up the field, starting in 11th and 12th, respectively. De Vries managed to climb up to 10th place with one minute left of his ATTACK MODE, while Frijns remained in 12th place. The drivers have reported some struggles with the conditions as even the ATTACK MODE is unable to launch them up the busy midfield.

Pascal Wehrlein set his sights on Nick Cassidy in the lead. With 30 seconds left of ATTACK MODE by the end of Lap 10, he was close to gaining the front spot. Behind, Nyck de Vries spun into the grass at Turn 5 but managed to recover well, and he rejoined the race safely without calling out a yellow flag. Wehrlein failed to overtake Cassidy and settled for second place as the two race leaders pulled five seconds away from Antonio Felix da Costa in second place.

Lucas di Grassi deployed some ATTACK MODE to climb back up to sixth place on Lap 11, but yesterday's race leader, Maximilian Gunther, had 20 more seconds of ATTACK MODE behind him. Under pressure from the German, di Grassi gave up the position and gave Gunther sixth place heading into Lap 12.

The championship leader, Oliver Rowland, was running in 14th place by the beginning of Lap 12. He seemed to be struggling with gaining grip and temperature in his tyres, and his teammate evidently suffered the same fate in 20th place. The Nissan drivers may be holding off using their ATTACK MODE until the closing stages of the race.

Eight drivers immediately deployed ATTACK MODE after the safety car returned to the pitlane. Nick Cassidy deployed two minutes of his ATTACK MODE after passing the first corner, alongside Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein. Cassidy managed to pull away from the rest of the pack and gain a lead of 1.6s by the middle of the lap.

Only Lucas di Grassi did not opt to use his ATTACK MODE in the early stages of the race, dropping him down to 12th place from fifth by Lap 9. Cassidy retained the lead of the race with Da Costa in second place, but Wehrlein began to put pressure on his Porsche teammate. With 1:30s left of his ATTACK MODE, he overtook da Costa around Turn 3 in an attempt to overtake Cassidy for the lead on Lap 10.

After waiting an hour and 30 minutes for the start of the race, the Shanghai ePrix is finally underway. The safety car leads the pack around the Shanghai International Circuit as the surface is still slightly wet, but we can see that there is little spray and the visibility is much better than during qualifying.

The safety car led the drivers around the circuit for the first seven laps. At the end of Lap 7, the safety car would return to the pit lane and the drivers' get off to a rolling start.

Despite all the delays, the rain has stopped in Shanghai, and the circuit is beginning to dry. The race is just 15 minutes away, and the grid is actually surprised that the race will get underway as they line up for the Chinese national anthem.

Season 11 of Formula E has brought fans a new powerful electric car, the Gen3 Evo car. Following on the car that made last season a game-changer, this upgraded car boasts more power and an all-wheel drive.

Fans can see a clear difference between the old and new spec, with the new spec easily powering around corners and launching off the line seamlessly. As Formula E has progressed, their cars have become the fastest in motorsport off the line, capable of going from 0-62 mph in 1.82 seconds.
FIA Technical Manager and GEN3 Project Lead Alessandra Ciliberti said: "GEN3 brings a host of innovations, but we’re still committed to going a step beyond.

"We’re already thinking of the evolution we can bring through the four-year cycle.

"We’re investigating using the front powertrain kit in traction as well as regen to allow for four-wheel drive-in specific scenarios and then looking even further to GEN4 we have to ensure Formula E remains at the forefront as the laboratory for future mobility.

"We will work through and understand the challenges the manufacturers face from a technical perspective to make sure it remains the perfect platform for them."

The race directors have confirmed that the Shanghai ePrix will begin at 2:35 pm local time, which is 7:35 am for fans across the UK.

Shanghai has definitely not been the best venue so far for Oliver Rowland. The championship leader is set to start the race in 17th place due to a tricky qualifying session that was hindered by heavy rain. Nissan's five-race pole position streak was ended yesterday when Maximilian Gunther claimed pole position over Rowland. It continued to be a struggle for Rowland in the race, losing the lead to Gunther as well as a handful of positions in the final few laps.

His energy dropped drastically in the last lap of the race after catapulting himself up to the lead using ATTACK MODE. Rowland salvaged a fifth-place finish in the race yesterday, but for a potential world champion, that is not a good enough position. He still stands on the top step in the Drivers' Standings, 86 points ahead of the second runner, Taylor Barnard.

While waiting for the race to begin, Rowland said: "I mean, hopefully the weather is up, but yeah, at the moment, it's not looking great, to be honest.

"We'll just try and do what we can in the race. If it doesn't start, for me, it's probably better.

"But at the same time, I'd be relishing the challenge to try and come through.

"From a points perspective, I would rather stay in the garage, but I also would quite like to charge from the back to the front."

As the drivers wait for the start of the Shanghai ePrix, they must be wondering what the best strategy would be when the race begins. The rain has been chucking it down since the early hours of the morning, and despite the delayed start, it doesn't seem to be ending any time soon.

One of the options, if the race goes underway, is to take all eight minutes of ATTACK MODE in the early stages of the race. This could be a great way to shoot up the field and gain some track positions early on, rather than struggling through the bunched up field.

The drivers are likely to struggle with the conditions as the surface is extremely wet, and the energy use will be intense on the drivers and car. It may be preferable to use ATTACK MODE early on to avoid the chaos in case of a safety car or red flag during the closing stages of the race.