Jaguar Formula E team principal James Barclay blamed Nick Cassidy’s crash in the Sao Paulo Eprix on Formula E’s peloton style of racing.
Since the introduction of the Gen3 car at the start of last season, Formula E races have become closer than ever before.
Due to the energy regeneration required to make cars’ battery life last until the end of the race, many drivers have resorted to running behind rival cars to benefit from the lower energy requirements of running in a slipstream. This has resulted in so-called ‘peloton’ style of racing, similar to that of road cycle racing.
Formula E championship leader Nick Cassidy crashed out of Saturday’s eprix after his front win broke off and jammed under his front axle following earlier contact with Edoardo Mortara at the chicane. While the Jaguar driver was unharmed in the crash, his team principal said the accident was a symptom of the style of racing in the Gen3 era.
“You saw he had some damage on his front wing and, unfortunately, the risk is it gets under the front tyre and you lose steering and he’s going into the wall,” Barclay said during the race broadcast.
“The main thing is Nick’s okay – that’s obviously always the priority. But it’s frustrating for him and for the team. Ultimately the ‘peloton’ style of racing we’re seeing, it’s starting to get a bit silly. You try to carry momentum into the corners, cars are stopping all the time. So this is the risk of this very extreme kind of racing. You can easily get caught up. The main thing is Nick’s okay, but it’s something I think we just need to be aware of when we look at the race and energy. Because it does form this kind of concertina effect, which is very difficult for the drivers to predict.”
Cassidy’s team mate Mitch Evans lost victory to McLaren’s Sam Bird after a thrilling final lap battle. While Barclay said he was happy with a podium for the team, Evans described his second place as “really bittersweet”.
“I just unfortunately had a battery de-rate,” Evans explained. “Super happy for Sam to get his win, but I thought it was ours.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula E
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…