Nick Cassidy masterclass provides Citroen its first win

Nick Cassidy pulled off a strategic masterclass to win the Mexico Metropolis E-Prix from thirteenth on the grid to offer Citroen its first System E victory in solely its second race.

The French marque is new to the all-electric championship within the 2025/26 season and has already made a stellar begin, including to Cassidy’s third within the Sao Paulo opener with a win on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

An excellent vitality saving tactic, plus an off-set use of Assault Mode was key to the New Zealander’s win and he was joined on the rostrum by Edoardo Mortara and reigning champion Oliver Rowland.

It capped off a busy day on the championship’s one hundred and fiftieth race, which started with qualifying the place Taylor Barnard was quickest however a monitor restrict violation on the final nook deleted his lap time within the closing duel.

Sebastien Buemi subsequently inherited pole, however the Envision driver endured a disastrous begin as he misjudged the braking zone and went into the escape street at Flip 1.

Barnard subsequently took the race lead, however such an honour modified a number of occasions within the early levels with drivers targeted on saving vitality and deciding when to make use of Assault Mode.

One driver to go early was Pascal Wehrlein, who had jumped from eighth to first come lap 5; the Porsche collection champion saying that his goal was to regulate the race from the opening excursions, believing overtaking would then show troublesome.

That is the other of what transpired although as a result of as soon as his four-minute Assault Mode was over, he shortly dropped down the order with it apparent that the race can be gained on technique.

Nick Cassidy, Citroen Racing e-CX leads Edoardo Mortara, Mahindra Racing Mahindra M12Electro

Photograph by: Hector Vivas / Getty Photographs

Those that had been affected person with their Assault Mode and saved their battery for the ultimate levels had been in the end rewarded, firstly due to a yellow flag turned security automotive between laps 17 and 20.

This occurred as a result of Nyck de Vries went off at Flip 1 with what seemed to be a mechanical subject sending him into the run-off space.

There was then one other yellow flag on lap 25 after Antonio Felix da Costa, whereas defending from Cassidy on the within, collided into Maximilian Gunther who then spun and knocked da Costa into Dan Ticktum at Turns 5 and 6.

This was a battle for the decrease positions of the highest 10, a lot of Cassidy’s restoration drive had come within the closing 13 laps. These 13 laps included the Citroen driver utilizing his full eight-minute Assault Mode, starting with a six-minute stint.

Having solely two minutes of the additional energy device left did make him considerably susceptible to second-placed Mortara – who had 4 minutes remaining – by the point Cassidy had reached the entrance, however he’d utilised his vitality higher than his Mahindra rival.

It created a tense combat for the win late on and Mortara threw all the things at it, however sensible defending from Cassidy gave him a twelfth collection win. Such a detailed combat additionally allowed others to shut and Rowland was beneficiary of that, having overtaken Barnard, who completed fourth, and fifth-placed Jake Dennis late on.

Wehrlein in the end completed sixth with Pepe Marti seventh; the Kiro rookie being one other to have profited from saving a lot of his battery till the ultimate laps. The remaining factors paying positions went to Jean-Eric Vergne, Nico Muller and Norman Nato.

All of it leaves Cassidy on the high of the standings and if historical past suggests something, then he’ll turn out to be world champion: the final three Mexico Metropolis E-Prix winners have gone on to assert the title.