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Nick Cassidy switches one Jaguar powertrain for another as he leaves Envision to join Jaguar TCS Racing.
Nick Cassidy’s move to Jaguar has perhaps been the paddock’s worst-kept secret. There had been talk of the move in the electric racing world prior to the season finale in London.
When it was announced the day after the London E-Prix that Sam Bird would depart the British racing team, Cassidy’s switch from Envision became all but confirmed. Now, a week on from Bird’s exit, Jaguar has confirmed that it has signed Nick Cassidy for the 2024 season “and beyond”.
Cassidy leaves behind him Jaguar’s customer team Envision, with whom he has raced since he made his Formula E debut in 2021. With Envision, Cassidy competed for the Drivers’ Championship. Though he fell short of winning the title for himself, Cassidy and teammate Sebastien Buemi brought home the Teams’ Championship, helping Envision beat sister team Jaguar to the chase.
It’s anticipated that in Cassidy’s stead, the team has signed Robin Frijns following the news that Frijns will no longer race with ABT. The Dutch driver raced with Envision for four seasons prior to his brife stint with ABT. Whilst Sam Bird’s next team is yet to be confirmed, it’s expected that he will drive for McLaren. The move would see Bird partner compatriot Jake Hughes, replacing René Rast.
What does this mean for Jaguar?
Jaguar heads into the next season with an incredibly strong driver lineup under its belt. Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans finished second and third respectively in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship, separated from one another by just a handful of points. Combined, Cassidy and Evans won eight races — half of the season’s total races.
The Cassidy-Evans lineup could well be the strongest driver pairing on the grid. With the competitive pace of the Jaguar powertrain, the team could prove itself a dominant force for rival teams to reckon with.
Commenting on Cassidy’s signing, Jaguar team principal James Barclay said that the Kiwi’s “track record speaks for itself”. Barclay added 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