HOW DO I WATCH FORMULA E ON TNT SPORTS? WHAT IS DISCOVERY+?
The 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship roared into life with the season-opening race in Mexico City on Saturday, January 13, with all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
Antonio Felix Da Costa drove the perfect race as he led from the front to win the Formula E 10th round in Berlin.
The Portuguese driver took the race from the front and as the rest battled behind for the podium positions he forged a winning margin.
Nick Cassidy got stuck behind after fighting with Jaguar team-mate Mitch Evans for a podium position.
Cassidy eventually came past his team-mate and British driver Oliver Rowland to take second.
Nissan driver Rowland had moved up from 16th place on the grid and finished third despite losing a place to Cassidy late on.
Da Costa previously won round six of the series in Misano, Italy, before being disqualified hours after the race had ended.
“The other one got taken away a few hours after, I’m confident that we’ve got everything in line,” said Da Costa.
“It feels great to win in a home race for Porsche, it’s a special one. It had been a tough start to the season, but we’ve been building momentum.”
A second-place finish for Cassidy extended his lead in the overall championship to 16 points, despite showing his frustration at team-mate Evans competing with him for position.
“It’s a great weekend for us,” said Cassidy. “I feel sorry for Mitch (Evans) he lost out a bit there, but I feel that we could have both had a better race.
“We tried to work hard together, that sometimes work but sometimes doesn’t. In this peloton racing it’s really hard to do that.
“We gave it our best and had a great weekend.”
The series continues with round 11 and 12 on May 25-26 in Shanghai.
More to follow …
HOW DO I WATCH FORMULA E ON TNT SPORTS? WHAT IS DISCOVERY+?
The 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship roared into life with the season-opening race in Mexico City on Saturday, January 13, with all the action live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media.
Nick Cassidy timed his winning effort to perfection to take victory in Berlin after driving through the pack from 21st to take victory.
The Jaguar driver took his second victory of the campaign to take the championship lead and set the fastest lap of the race.
Jean-Eric Vergne held off a closely grouped pack for second with Oliver Rowland placing third.
An eventful race saw two safety cars implemented after Joel Eriksson’s car stopped and pole setter Edoardo Mortara saw his car clipped into the wall.
With the result undecided a tense final five laps resulted in Jehan Daruvala crashing, but racing continued with debris on the course.
Amongst the chaos Cassidy came through the pack to race clear with just over two laps remaining and pulled out a winning margin.
Vergne had been fighting for the lead throughout and placed second, while Rowlands finished third.
“That was crazy,” said Cassidy. “It was great for the team, they were flawless all race, the comms and strategy were all perfect.
“I didn’t have the car to win today, but somehow we pulled it off.
Cassidy finished runner-up in the previous round at Monaco and victory saw him move into the overall championship lead.
Racing continues in Berlin tomorrow (Sunday) for round 10 of the series.
More to follow…
WHAT HAPPENED IN QUALIFYING
This morning’s qualifying session threw up some surprises as Pascal Wehrlein took pole position and three points which took him top of the world championship standings.
Jake Dennis failed to make the duels and will start 18th on the grid on the tight street course. Fellow championship contender Oliver Rowland also has work to do and starts in 15th on the grid.
Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske) lost the final duel but will start on the front row and currently sits 11th in the championship.
In this handout from Jaguar Racing, Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6 during practice at the Monaco E-Prix, round 8 of the 2024 FIA Formula E World Championship at Circuit de Monaco on April 27, 2024 in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Image credit: Getty Images
Mitch Evans took his first win of the season after leading a perfect team performance at Monaco, while Jaguar TCS Racing team-mate Nick Cassidy boosted his World Championship hopes.
Evans and Cassidy controlled the race after taking the lead from the 10th of 29 laps.
The drivers swapped lead throughout the second half of the race – allowing the other to save energy – before pulling clear in the closing stages.
Evans was given permission to hold the front position as the pair pulled away from the rest within the closing five laps.
Meanwhile, a second placed finish for Cassidy boosted his overall hopes taking him within seven points of series leader Pascal Wehrlein.
Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne completed the podium positions after spending the second half of the race unable to challenge the Jaguar leaders with team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne in fourth.
TAG Heuer Porsche driver Wehrlein had started on pole position before conceding the lead to take attack mode on the third lap.
However, an ill-timed safety car scuppered the German’s hopes of regaining the lead and he eventually placed fifth.
Extra points for starting on pole and a fifth placed finish saw him gain ground on all of his championship rivals except Cassidy.
Reigning champion Jake Dennis had a nightmare round with car troubles rendering him with no chance of picking up points. .
Evans thanked his Jaguar team after taking his first ever victory in Formula E.
“I’ve been waiting so long for this, even before Formula E,” he said. “Even when I was in GP2 I was on the podium many times, also in formula E. I felt that I had many cracks at it, but came up short many times. To get it finally done today after a relatively tough start really kick-starts my season. What a place to do it, it’s somewhere where I live and a very special part of the world.
“It was a great bit of teamwork with Nick (Cassidy). This one is for the team.”
The Jaguar TCS Racing driver played the perfect team-mate even when a race victory looked momentarily on the cards.
Swapping the lead with race winner Mitch Evans during the second half it was Cassidy’s car which had more energy remaining in the final stages.
After asking for team orders Cassidy was left holding off any competitors in second as Evans took the honours.
However, the New Zealander is now just seven points behind championship leader Pascal Wehrlein despite having a disastrous rounds four, five and six.
4/29 – VANDOORNE TAKES LEAD
Wehrlein goes for attack mode in the third lap conceding the lead to Vandoorne. Wehrlein goes down to fifth. Evans and Cassidy also move up into podium positions.
6/29 – MORTARA HITS THE WALL.
The fifth lap has seen a series of crashes and there is debris all over the track after Mortara hits the wall.
The race is behind a safety car as the Mahindra Racing car is rescued from the track.
10/29 – EVANS TAKES LEAD
The Jaguar team-mates have been following so far and are now have strong energy in their cars.
Both drivers enable attack move and pass Vandoorne.
11/29 – DENNIS IN TROUBLE
Reigning world champion Dennis has problems with his car and has been forced to pit resulting in him moving to the back of the pack.
He has a wing change but it’s going to be a long way back from there.
15/29 – CASSIDY LEADS
Despite Evans have attack mode enabled Cassidy has taken the lead. The team-mates are playing the perfect tactical race so far.
Evans is now slowing the pack as Cassidy has all his attack mode to use.
18/29 – EVANS AND CASSIDY TRADE POSITIONS
The Jaguar drivers have again swapped positions as they allow each other to save energy.
However, both drivers could end up fighting for victory later in the race.
26/29 – MULLER INTO WALL
The safety car is back out after Muller collided with Hughes in a battle for 14th resulting in the Swiss driver hitting the wall.
Muller is stranded with his car unable to move. Two laps are added as a result of the two safety cars in the race.
31/31 – EVANS WINS
Mitch Evans takes his first Formula E victory completing a Jaguar one-two as Cassidy finishes second. Vandoorne gives everything to finish third.
Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) took victory in Misano and reclaimed the championship lead after Oliver Rowland (Nissan Formula E Team) ran out of energy on the final lap.
Rowland and Wehrlein broke the peloton in the second half of the race before, despite an energy deficit, Rowland upped the pace again on the penultimate lap to gain an advantage and victory looked his for the taking.
However, the Nissan driver miscalculated his resources and ran out of energy on the final lap, meaning Wehrlein inherited the win. “Yesterday could have been better, but I’m very happy with the race today,” Wehrlein said post-race. “Quite chaotic again in the beginning until mid-race.
“At the end, I wasn’t quite sure if I should stay in the lead or let Ollie [Rowland] through. The pace he did seemed a bit weird and too fast to try to defend, so I didn’t defend him hard. I was a bit surprised about his energy, hearing [he was down on energy] and wasn’t sure if the team had the correct information or not. But in the end, it proved to be the right thing to do. It was a lot of managing in the end, the energy, the battery, the tyres … just everything.
“It goes quickly from zero to hero or the other way round, we know that in Formula E. I think we had the pace this weekend to win both races. Unfortunately, yesterday with this kind of race, I was a bit of a victim with my front wing and then being at the back. But today was a big redemption for us. Let’s see the checks now, but I’m pretty sure it will be okay.”
After a quiet and clean start, the race quickly turned into the expected peloton-style on the wide and flowing Misano track with the order constantly changing throughout the first half of proceedings.
With 10 laps to go, Rowland claimed the lead and pulled the pin. Wehrlein was the only driver able to go with him and a gap opened behind them to Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E) in third. Dennis himself had some breathing space to Nico Mueller (Abt Cupra Formula E Team) and Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) following in fourth and fifth.
Wehrlein took P1 on Lap 18 and the pace slowed down again, resulting in the gaps closing and a group of five forming at the front. Rowland responded immediately to reclaim the lead and increase the pace again, despite a significant energy deficit to the other front runners.
Once more, only Wehrlein was able to go with him and the decision looked set to go down between the duo. Rowland opted for a risky tactic given his energy deficit and upped the pace again on the penultimate lap, creating a 1.5 seconds gap at the front.
However, late drama struck on the final lap when Rowland rolled out, evidentially having miscalculated his resources and run out of energy. Wehrlein inherited the position and took his second win of the season.
Behind, Dennis defended what was now runner-up spot furiously and brought second over the line. “It came together in the race,” the Andretti driver said.
“Ninth to second is a pretty good day in the office, but it was a struggle. As soon as the pace picked up at the front, I got dropped immediately and fell back into the clutches of both Nicks [Cassidy and Mueller]. It was just survival mode for me today. This weekend has been a real struggle, but to come out with two second places is a good salvage of points.
“[Pascal and I finishing one-two for the fifth time] shows how good the Porsche powertrain is, full credit to these guys for bringing such an efficient powertrain to give us the opportunity to do this. We both scored a lot of points and are sitting pretty towards the top end of the championship.
“Overall, a lot of work to do before Monaco to sort our qualifying pace out and then we can really start this championship.”
The decision for third went right down to the wire with Cassidy overtaking Mueller through the final corner to secure the remaining podium spot. “I think we’ve got to be happy in some ways,” the Kiwi said. “It’s been a rough few races, so it’s nice to be back on the podium.
“[Taking third through the last corner] is kind of a cheery on the cake. Well done to [the Abt Cupra Formula E Team] as well, they’re doing a great job. It’s so cool to see Nico [Mueller] and the Abt guys doing well and to have such a close finish.”
Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan Formula E Team) was fifth from Sergio Sette-Camara (ERT Formula E Team) and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske) in seventh. Pole sitter Jake Hughes (Neom McLaren Formula E Team) took the chequered flag in eighth with the Maserati MSG Racing duo of Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala completing the top 10.
It’s been disaster after disaster in recent races for Cassidy, not necessarily through faults of his own, and bouncing back with a podium finish is excellent redemption for the Porsche driver.
To do it in style with a last-corner overtake is an added bonus for the Kiwi whose championship challenge is back on track, now trailing standings leader Wehrlein by 13 points.
An honourable mention also goes to Mueller who was punching above the weight of his customer Mahindra in the fight for the podium.
1/26: HUGHES DEFENDS LEAD FROM POLE – It’s tight, but Hughes hangs on to P1 going into Turn 1. Wehrlein is second and Vergne third.
13/26: HALFWAY THROUGH – At the halfway stage of the race, things are much as expected with a peloton and no one blinking yet.
15/26: ROWLAND IN THE LEAD – Rowland has taken over at the front of the field and looks to be maybe testing the waters a little bit with an increased pace.
18/26: WEHRLEIN TAKES LEAD – Wehrlein takes over in the lead. He has two per cent more energy left compared to Rowland.
21/26: ROWLAND RECLAIMS LEAD – ROWLAND RECLAIMS LEAD – Interesting tactic from Rowland who reclaims the lead and ups the pace again. He has two per cent less energy than his opponents though.
24/26: ROWLAND PULLS THE PIN – Rowland puts some breathing space between himself and Wehrlein.
26/26: ROWLAND ROLLS OUT – Rowland slows down on track, apparently having run out of energy.
26/26: WEHRLEIN WINS IN MISANO – Incredibly, Wehrlein takes the win, having inherited the lead from Rowland who evidentially miscalculated his energy. Dennis defends second while Cassidy takes the final podium position off Mueller through the final turn.
NEW LOCATION PROMISES PLENTY OF OVERTAKES
The Misano World Circuit Marco Somincelli, or Misano Circuit Sic 58, will be familiar to many motorsport fans with the track being a regular on the MotoGP and WorldSBK calendars, as well hosting endurance and sportscar racing, DTM, and many more. It is, however, set for its Formula E debut today.
It’s a rapid, flowing track with plenty of overtaking opportunities and room for manoeuvres over the course of 3.38km. ‘I raced in Misano back in 2019, and I think it’s a circuit that will provide lots of overtaking which is always good for us because of the efficiency of the powertrain,’ said reigning world champion Jake Dennis ahead of the weekend.
JAGUAR KEEN TO BOUNCE BACK
Jaguar TCS Racing come to Misano on the back of their worst-scoring weekend so far this season last time out in Tokyo. While driver Nick Cassidy currently still sits second in the championship standings, trailing Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein by two points, the Kiwi admitted that his side needs to step things up: ‘I don’t feel like we’re super efficient right now – we’ve got to improve,’ Cassidy said. ‘That’s going to be key [in Misano].
‘[Nissan and Porsche] have made huge jumps and I think they’re stronger than us right now, so we’ve got to improve. I’m not sure we can do that before Misano but we’ll do our best.’
While Cassidy has some work left to do from eighth on the grid, it’s been so far, so good on the other side of the garage with Mitch Evans bagging pole position. ‘Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that when I woke up this morning,’ Evans said. ‘Normally, these tracks don’t really tend to suit our package as much, but I think the guys and girls at Jaguar have done an incredible job to put it together. It’s a good car for this type of track! We just kept calm, and the car was really consistent throughout qualifying which I wasn’t really experiencing through practice. I was able to kind of build into it and build my confidence. So, full credit to everyone on the team.
‘It’s probably not the track you want to be at pole at, but I’ll take it! I’ll take the points and then we’re obviously focused for the race; it’s going to be a wild one. Let’s see, at the end of the day of how how kind it is to me. But so far, yeah, it’s been a good day.’
