"Close, fun, Formula E!" - Exstatic Cassidy jubilant over Portland win as championship leader Dennis continues podium streak

After a frantic, at times confusing race in Portland, Jake Dennis and Nick Cassidy are back at the top of the Formula E drivers' standings. After the E-Prix, the drivers from the Andretti and Envision teams praised each other and swore off a tight finish to the 2023 season.

A whopping 403 overtaking maneuvers, Formula E calculates on its social media channels, are said to have taken place during the 2023 Portland E-Prix. The lead also changed several times during the course of the race: Four different drivers collected kilometers in first place, swapping positions countless times. In the end, Nick Cassidy (Envision) took the win.

"Things have always gone well for me in America the last few years. I just love driving here," the New Zealander said after the race, beaming in an interview for Formula E's TV World Signal. "This E-Prix was great fun. It's really close because the guys I'm racing against are all top."

 

 

 

 

 

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In qualifying in particular, he said, Jake Dennis, who took the world championship lead with the three points associated with pole position, was Cassidy's "reference." "Unfortunately, this race of all races has been one where you don't want to start at the front. Antonio always lines up fantastically in these races as well," said Cassidy in praise of the third-place finisher. His conclusion on the race in the U.S., in which he claimed his fourth career victory: "It's close, it's fun, it's Formula E!"

World championship leader Dennis "never flatout in the first quarter"

Jake Dennis admits to being a fair second after the E-Prix, even though he "badly wanted" the win, as he says. "Nick was just faster. I'm very happy with pole position, second place, a race without damage and the championship lead. In the first 15 laps, everyone was on different strategies, which made it very confusing. In the first quarter, I never drove at full power - nobody wanted to lead!"

"Looking back, I would have liked to use my attack modes earlier. On the second activation, I dropped back to seventh, which left me vulnerable. At that point, the energy targets were already so high that I had trouble catching up with Antonio and Nick again. That's something we learn from. In the end, though, I'm just glad we're done with this race and can travel to Rome and London, where the cars can race on tighter street circuits again. That's where they excel, as much fun as qualifying was in Portland."

Dennis equals record for most podiums in a season

His impressive run of success, which Dennis is likely to look back on with mixed feelings, did not stop in the United States: In the last five races, he always reached the podium, but never as the winner. For the third time in a row, the Briton finished second in a race. With his eighth top-3 result this year, he equaled Stoffel Vandoorne's record from last year, who was previously the record holder for the most podium results in a season.

Most top 3 results in one season

* Season still ongoing
 

"The last win in Mexico was too long ago," Dennis agrees. "I'm desperate to win again in Rome and build the consistency we need to take with us to London." The final two race weekends of the 2023 Formula E season will take place next month: the Rome E-Prix on July 15-16, and the London E-Prix on July 29-30.