6 May: 2023 Monaco E-Prix, Round 9
Pole: Jake Hughes
Winner: Nick Cassidy
NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes inherited the Julius Baer Pole Position in Monaco - his second of the season - after Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz had his lap time cancelled for power usage over the regulatory limit of 350kW during the Qualifying Duels Final.
The performance of both rookies in qualifying showcased the depth of quality in Formula E this season, with veterans and newbies alike both enjoying success in both qualifying and the races.
Monaco, one of the jewels in any motorsport calendar, saw a second win in a row for Nick Cassidy and Envision Racing, and a move to the top of the standings.
Despite starting the race in 10th, Cassidy’s imperious form saw him move swiftly up the order, with his decisive early-race moves yielding the ultimate result. Cassidy hit the lead as early as lap seven, while his sprint finish showcased the resolute speed that has been a hallmark of his racing career.
As typical for Season 9, Cassidy was chased down to the very end, this time by countryman Mitch Evans, who had won two of the past three races. The two form drivers in Formula E robustly challenged each other for a win around the glamorous streets of Monte-Carlo, but it was Cassidy who secured the triumph, in a Kiwi one-two, and the fourth win in a row for a driver from New Zealand.
Drivers’ Championship top three:
- Nick Cassidy, 121 points
- Pascal Wehrlein, 101 points
- Jake Dennis, 96 points
3 June: 2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix, Round 10
Pole: Maximilian Guenther
Winner: Pascal Wehrlein
Heading into Jakarta, early-season leader Pascal Wehrlein was struggling to consistently hit the big points totals required to stay in true championship contention. After scoring 70 points in the first four races of the season, The German had earned just 21 points in the subsequent five races. All of that was to change in Indonesia as Wehrlein claimed his third win of the campaign in surprisingly serene circumstances.
A new name was on pole in Jakarta, as Maximilian Guenther, who had scored points in just two of nine previous races, showed the speed that has been well known since he became Formula E’s youngest race-winner in 2020. Guenther gave Maserati their first pole position since the 1958 Argentine Grand after convincingly defeating Jake Dennis in the Duels final.
The race began well for Guenther too, until lap four when Wehrlein overtook his fellow German on the inside of turn one. Although Guenther reclaimed the lead after the first ATTACK MOVE installation, Wehrlein retook first after the second activation, a position he would stay in until the end of the race.
Drama was happening behind Wehrlein as two of his championship rivals struggled. Nick Cassidy could only finish seventh, while another collision between the Jaguar teammates saw Mitch Evans forced to retire after Sam Bird’s ill-fated lunge on the New Zealander.
Only Jake Dennis was able to score damaging points to Wehrlein’s title bid as the Brit finished on the podium for the third successive race, one place above Guenther in third.
Drivers’ Championship top three:
- Nick Cassidy, 128 points
- Pascal Wehrlein, 126 points
- Jake Dennis, 114 points
4 June: 2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix, Round 10
Pole: Maximilian Guenther
Winner: Maximilian Guenther
Maximilian Guenther’s comeback to prominence was confirmed the next day in Jakarta when he won his fourth Formula E race, and became the first driver to win from pole position in Season 9.
Guenther once again dominated qualifying, and it was again Jake Dennis he defeated in the final of the Duels this time by over half a second. Heading into the race, many would have expected the German to perhaps gain another podium, but a win seemed unlikely for a Maserati despite Guenther’s podium the day before.
Instead, as he has frequently done in his Formula E career, Guenther silence the doubters with a superbly-marshalled performance that ended in Maserati’s first world championship single-seater win since Juan-Manuel Fangio's legendary victory at the Nurburgring all the way back in 1957.
It was appropriate that it was Guenther who broke the duck for Maserati, given his resilience within the sport. The German showed flashes of brilliance for Dragon in maiden Formula E season despite being temporarily replaced midway through the season.
A switch to Andretti for Season 6 saw Guenther win three races in two years, before a move to Nissan for Season 8 which saw just six points scored in a disappointing year for both team and driver. His move to Maserati saw a slow start, but victory in Indonesia proved that his race-winning capacity had not been dimmed by several lean years.
Once Guenther had held onto the lead after the second ATTACK MODE activation, he was able to hold off former teammate Jake Dennis with considerable ease, eventually becoming the first driver of the Gen3 era to win a race by over two seconds, and more than 18 seconds ahead of third place Mitch Evans.
Drivers’ Championship top three:
- Pascal Wehrlein, 134 points
- Jake Dennis, 133 points
- Nick Cassidy, 128 points
24 June: 2023 Southwire Portland E-Prix, Round 12
Pole: Jake Dennis
Winner: Nick Cassidy
Just seven seconds split the top 17 drivers in Formula E’s first Portland race, and after 403 overtakes, the man on top was once again Nick Cassidy. The championship contender perfectly measured his race, as he emerged from starting tenth on the grid to first after 32 flawless laps.
Few had perfected Formula E's unique balancing act between energy efficiency and outright pace better than Cassidy heading into America, and though he started nine places behind polesitter - and main championship rival Jake Dennis, it took just three laps for Cassidy to take the lead.
Though Dennis earned yet another podium success, with his third consecutive second place, Cassidy enjoyed the final say after a race which often saw cars five and six wide across the Portland circuit.
The race was notable not just for its many overtakes, but Nico Mueller’s race which lasted just ten laps in Portland after the ABT CUPRA driver crashed heavily on the run from T9 to T10. The crash was recorded at 27G on telemetry, but thankfully Mueller was uninjured after the incident.
Cassidy, who enjoyed his third win of the season - a current record, and Dennis, were joined on the podium by Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa, while on his 29th birthday, Mitch Evans recovered from 20th on the grid to fourth.
The result left Dennis one point ahead of Cassidy heading into Rome, with former leader Pascal Wehrlein dropping back to third in the championship.
Drivers’ Championship top three:
- Jake Dennis, 154 points
- Nick Cassidy, 153 points
- Pascal Wehrlein, 138 points