In a dramatic turn of events in Formula E Abu Dhabi, Nick Cassidy missed a great opportunity to extend his lead in the Formula E World Championship. While his teammate Mitch Evans initially crossed the line in first place, a penalty for contact with McLaren’s Jake Hughes dropped Evans to eighth. This allowed Antonio Felix da Costa to secure his third win in four races. However, Porsche also faced disappointment, as da Costa’s teammate Pascal Wehrlein only managed a tenth place, gaining just one point over Cassidy.
Cassidy was performing a stunning display of economical driving, starting from thirteenth position and moving quickly to the front of the pack. He managed to defend himself from da Costa and was leading the race against Evans when disaster struck on the final lap. Cassidy went off the track in the Turn 10/11 chicane, causing him to slide onto the grass and spin, finishing in nineteenth place.
Evans, who considered the penalty unfair, saw his hopes of victory dashed at the finish. In just a few minutes, da Costa went from third place to first, with a one-two for Jaguar turning into a victory for the Portuguese driver. Hughes, involved in the accident with Evans, suffered a puncture and finished in twenty-first place, one lap behind the leaders.
Robin Frijns, driving for Jaguar customer team Envision, took second, followed by DS Penke’s Jean-Eric Vergne in third. Edoardo Mortara scored his best result of the season for Mahindra, finishing fourth. Reigning champion Jake Dennis was sixth for Andretti, while Abt Cupra driver Nico Mueller was fifth.
Wehrlein’s strategy of delaying his attack mode activations appears to have backfired, as he failed to make progress from his starting position in 10th as the race pace quickened in the closing laps. He is also under investigation for a race-ending collision for Maserati driver Maximilian Guenther. Despite Cassidy’s mistake, Wehrlein is still 24 points behind him in the championship standings.
Jake Dennis’ Andretti teammate Norman Nato showed impressive speed in qualifying, but was penalized with a 10-place grid penalty for a yellow flag violation during the final practice. Starting in 11th place, Nato quickly caught up with the leading group, only to sacrifice his position with a long, energy-inefficient lead. He ultimately finished 13th.
