"Were not far enough ahead at the go-point" - Jaguar misses out on another podium, but positions itself for the world title

62 world championship points - it was a very successful Shanghai E-Prix for Jaguar TCS Racing. After the double podium on Saturday, Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans missed out on the big points in the second Formula E race in China, but with four rounds of the season to go, things are looking very good for the "big cat" in both world championships.

After the successful race Saturday in China, Jaguar was also considered the favourite to win on Sunday. In the end, it was "only" enough for 4th and 5th place for Cassidy and Evans. "When the go-point came (where it becomes more difficult to overtake), we weren't far enough ahead," admits team principal James Barclay. "The race got faster quite early on, we saw 1:15 times early on. And to be honest, the top three had really strong pace in the final laps."

Without this tactical error, Jaguar could probably have achieved more. "Yes, probably. I think we had a bit more pace than the result suggests," says Cassidy. His boss even believes: "We would have had a chance to fight for victory," says Barclay.

Evans also admits: "We would have expected to come through a little better, but it wasn't to be." Nevertheless, the New Zealander made a big leap in the championship standings. With 132 points, he is now third overall and is "only" 35 points behind leader Cassidy and ten points behind Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche). Even the title is suddenly possible again for Evans.

Cassidy: "In terms of the championship, that obviously helps me"

In any case, it was a very important weekend for Jaguar regarding the championship standings. "We arrived here with a 54-point lead over Porsche and are leaving with 73 points," says Barclay. "Nick was also the clear winner against Pascal in terms of the drivers' championship. That was a great result today - the second-best weekend in our Formula E history."

The team had already known before that Shanghai would be a good opportunity to score a lot of points - especially after the setback for Wehrlein, whose tyre was slashed by Sam Bird, leaving him empty-handed. "I wouldn't wish a bad race on anyone," says Cassidy. "In terms of the championship, that obviously helps me, but there are still four races in which we have to score good points."

Your weekend wrap up with Nick ?️ #ShanghaiEPrix ?? pic.twitter.com/2e75eZ5wCe

- Jaguar TCS Racing (@JaguarRacing) May 26, 2024

Evans also thinks: "We're doing really well in the teams' standings, which is extremely important for us. Nick and I are also both in a good position in the drivers' standings." In fact, Cassidy has a 25-point lead over Wehrlein with four races to go in the season - as many points as there are for a race win. In view of the good Jaguar performances in Portland and London in 2023, Wehrlein and Porsche are facing a major challenge.

Realistically speaking, Oliver Rowland and Jake Dennis could also still have a say in the title fight. The reigning world champion suffered a setback in China though and is now already 54 points behind Cassidy. However, he was also strong last year in Portland and London. The title fight in Formula E is still wide open, but the next double-header in the USA in just under five weeks' time (29 and 30 June) could be the first preliminary decision in favour of Jaguar.