Written by Jacob Awcock, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Following a strong performance in São Paulo, Jaguar was given a shock in the Mexico City E-Prix as both drivers failed to score points in a damming afternoon for the team. Mitch Evans experienced a DNF after an incident with Nico Müller’s Andretti, while Nick Cassidy failed to score, finishing 12th on the road after starting at the rear.
Nick Cassidy’s comments in the Friday press conference following FP1 where he claimed that “we’re a little behind with where we want to be with this car” summed up Jaguar’s Mexico City weekend.
Despite claiming victory in Brazil with Mitch Evans, both cars failed to secure a points finish since the Jakarta E-Prix weekend in season nine.
In free practice though, it was clear Cassidy’s comments were right, as the Kiwi could only manage a lowly 15th, nearly a second off the pace.
While optimism was high on the other side of the garage following fifth in first practice for Evans, the fortunes of each side seemed to swap over, as Cassidy claimed second in second practice while Evans couldn't break into the top 10, sitting just outside in 11th.
Nevertheless, the team looked to be on for a strong qualifying, and following the group sessions, the positivity remained ever-present in the garage, as it seemed both cars had progressed through to the duels. Maybe the lack of pace was harsh.
But the optimism quickly disappeared, at least on one side of the garage, as Nick Cassidy was informed he was under investigation for a technical infringement.
Based on Cassidy’s reaction when he knew what was coming, the Kiwi was unsurprisingly demoted to the back of the grid for the race, around a track where overtaking is known to be notoriously hard.
Yet, there was still a glimmer of hope, as Evans unlocked some pace in the Jaguar, lining up in fifth place for the race hoping for some drama that could see him climb up the order.
The Kiwi, who is still pursuing his first world championship, wanted drama and he got drama. Just not the type of drama he wanted.
Following the late safety car restart, Evans was caught out by a slowing Nico Müller and slammed into the back of the Andretti, sending his Jaguar airborne and snapping his front steering rod, eliminating him on the spot.
A disconsolate Evans trudged back to the pit lane, while teammate Cassidy struggled to break into the points, instead benefitting from others' strategic mistakes to finish a disappointing 12th place.
It leaves the Coventry-based team third in the team's championship standings, 33 points off Porsche at the top.
Meanwhile, in the drivers’ standings, Evans remains in the strong position of third place, thanks to his victory earlier in the season, while his teammate can only dream of being in a similar position, as he sits a lowly 18th in the standings with zero points.
A team that competes and battles for both championships every season has had a dreadful start to season 11, and will be now worried that their contention for both championships could be suffering a major setback.
Improvements and upgrades must come soon if Jaguar wants to continue contending and rise to the challenge of their competitors.
Evans, Cassidy and Jaguar will be looking to bounce back when the Formula E paddock returns to action in a month’s time in Jeddah, for the Saudi Arabian round on the calendar.
Will Jaguar be able to find solutions to counter the speedy Porsche pace, and Nissan’s resurgence? Only time will tell us.
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