Citroën Racing Formula E Team Principle Cyril Blais claimed his team left Sanya with “important learnings” after a challenging weekend for both both Nick Cassidy and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Incidents hamper promising race for Cassidy in Sanya after Citroën issues
Having returned to the FIA Formula E calendar after a seven year absence, Sanya served up a chaotic E-prix for Citroën, punctuated by high temperatures, overtakes, energy management and a red flag.
Lining up sixth on the grid, Cassidy emerged as a standout performer in the opening half of the race, working his way up to the front of the field.
But a brake issue shortly after the red flag stoppage saw the Kiwi return to the pitlane where he picked up a penalty for speeding which compounded a dismal restart for the Citroën driver.
The issues meant Cassidy ultimately was prevented from being classified come the checkered flag despite his promising pace, something the Kiwi described as “disappointing”.
“A lot of things went wrong during the race, which is disappointing because we showed good potential in the first half and were running at the front for a period,” Cassidy explained.
“There are still positives to take away from the weekend and we’ve learned a lot. I’ve enjoyed being in China and now the focus is brining those lessons into Shanghai.”
Despite the result, Nick Cassidy remains in the championship top ten. Sitting eighth overall, the Kiwi remains 53 points clear of teammate Jean-Eric Vergne.
Good race despite lack of pace for sole Sanya Citroën points scorer Vergne
“It was actually a pretty good race for us, even if we didn’t quite seem to have the pace to move further forward.”
That was Vergne’s evaluation of a weekend where the Frenchman scored points for just the fifth time this season, brining his championship total to 18.
Starting from thirteenth, the ex Formula 1 driver managed his energy superbly as he crept up to the rear of the top five.
Ultimately, Vergne lacked the pace to materialise a sufficient fight and, in the end, had to settle for ninth on the road.
After post race penalties were applied, the Frenchman found himself classified seventh overall, handing Citroën Formula E team their only points of the weekend.
“I think we did a good job as a team today,” detailed Vergne. “I think we could have made more of our second Attack Mode, but starting from P13 and finishing in the points is still a positive outcome.”
Team principle Cyril Blais reiterated his driver’s comments claiming “the final result doesn’t fully reflect the potential we showed.”
“It was a particularly demanding and eventful race. It probably is exactly what you expect from a circuit like Sanya. Between the high temperatures, the red flag and the multiple neutralisations, the conditions created a real challenge for the entire grid.”
“Our focus now turns to Shanghai as we enter an important phase of the championship.”
