Nick Cassidy changes one Jaguar powertrain for another as he leaves Envision to sign up with Jaguar TCS Racing.
Nick Cassidy’s relocate to Jaguar has actually maybe been the paddock’s worst-kept trick. There had actually been talk of the relocation in the electrical racing world prior to the season ending in London.
When it was revealed the day after the London E-Prix that Sam Bird would leave the British racing group, Cassidy’s switch from Envision ended up being all however verified. Now, a week on from Bird’s exit, Jaguar has confirmed that it has actually signed Nick Cassidy for the 2024 season “and beyond”.
Cassidy leaves him Jaguar’s client group Envision, with whom he has actually raced considering that he made his Formula E launching in 2021. With Envision, Cassidy completed for the Drivers’ Championship. Though he disappointed winning the title for himself, Cassidy and colleague Sebastien Buemi brought home the Teams’ Championship, assisting Envision beat sibling group Jaguar to the chase.
It’s prepared for that in Cassidy’s stead, the group has actually signed Robin Frijns following the news that Frijns will no longer race with ABT. The Dutch driver raced with Envision for 4 seasons prior to his brife stint with ABT. Whilst Sam Bird’s next group is yet to be verified, it’s anticipated that he will drive for McLaren. The relocation would see Bird partner compatriot Jake Hughes, changing René Rast.
What does this mean for Jaguar?
Jaguar heads into the next season with an extremely strong driver lineup under its belt. Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans completed 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship, separated from one another by simply a handful of points. Combined, Cassidy and Evans won 8 races — half of the season’s overall races.
The Cassidy-Evans lineup might well be the greatest driver pairing on the grid. With the competitive speed of the Jaguar powertrain, the group might show itself a dominant force for competing groups to consider.
Commenting on Cassidy’s finalizing, Jaguar group principal James Barclay said that the Kiwi’s “track record speaks for itself”. Barclay included that Cassidy “is someone we have always had our eye on back to his time racing in Japan.”
Barclay continued, “We head into the new season with one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid and paired with the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 and our talented team we will be looking to once again challenge for both the Drivers and Teams World Championship titles.”
Featured Image Credit: Formula E
