NICK CASSIDY RETURNS TO THE PODIUM FOR CITROËN RACING FORMULA E TEAM IN TOKYO’S FIRST-EVER NIGHT RACE

· Nick Cassidy secures a strong third-place finish in the first-ever night race held at the Tokyo E-Prix.
· Jean-Éric Vergne scores valuable championship points following a strategic race run under the Pit Boost format.
· The team continues its positive momentum following its podium finish in Shanghai.
The opening race of the Tokyo double-header delivered the strategic spectacle expected of Formula E. Held at night for the first time on the streets of the Japanese capital and run under the Pit Boost format, Round 14 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship once again highlighted the importance of energy management, the timing of mandatory pit stops and the effective use of Attack Mode.
Following a Friday marked by highly changeable conditions, with Free Practice 1 heavily disrupted by rain and Free Practice 2 taking place with extreme track temperatures, Citroën Racing Formula E Team successfully qualified both cars for the Duels. Nick Cassidy lined up seventh on the grid, while Jean-Éric Vergne, who had originally qualified seventh, received a post-qualifying penalty and started the race from tenth position.
Before the race began, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of Cyril Blais, Team Principal of Citroën Racing Formula E Team, who passed away just a few days earlier. It was an emotional moment shared by the entire Formula E paddock.
Nick Cassidy made an excellent start, immediately moving into the top six. The New Zealander then adopted an ambitious energy-saving strategy, ensuring he had maximum energy available when the Pit Boost window opened. On the other side of the garage, Jean-Éric Vergne followed a different approach, focusing on gradually building his energy advantage to launch a charge in the second half of the race.
As the Pit Boost window opened, both strategies began to unfold. Following his mandatory pit stop, Cassidy was able to fully exploit the energy he had saved during the opening phase of the race. Combined with a perfectly timed Attack Mode activation, the strategy allowed him to make several decisive overtakes before climbing into third position, where he ultimately took the chequered flag. Following his previous experience in Super Formula, Super GT and the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship, the New Zealander returned to the podium in front of a crowd he knows particularly well, delivering another top-three finish for Citroën Racing Formula E Team following its podium in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Jean-Éric Vergne continued executing his energy-saving strategy before making full use of his Attack Mode. Despite starting further down the grid, the Frenchman produced another impressive recovery drive to finish seventh, adding valuable points to the team’s championship tally. Citroën Racing Formula E Team now sits on 138 points.
With both cars scoring points and another podium secured, Citroën Racing Formula E Team continues its positive momentum ahead of the second race of the weekend, which will take place tomorrow on the Tokyo Street Circuit under the traditional Formula E race format.
 
Beth Paretta, MSG Managing Director :
“I’m really proud of the team for achieving this podium here in Tokyo. It has obviously been a very difficult week for everyone, but the way the whole team came together has been incredible. We are all so pleased to have earned this podium with Nick. Hopefully, we can carry this momentum into tomorrow and do it all again.”