Cassidy takes first pole for Citroën in wet and wild qualifying session at Jarama
- Vyas Ponnuri
- Mar 21
- 6 min read
Nick Cassidy took his first pole position of 2026, and the team's first around the Circuito del Jarama, having aced the damp conditions at the circuit. The New Zealander managed to grab pole in a session when several drivers found the gravel traps on their flying laps, and experienced oversteer at various points on the track.
AS IT UNFOLDED - Qualifying for the Madrid E-Prix
The Formula E grid headed into the Jarama circuit on the back of two damp free practice sessions, with the weather still remaining chilly and damp as the drivers took to the track.
Cupra Kiro's Dan Ticktum and Andretti's Felipe Drugovich topped the two free practice sessions in the lead up to qualifying, both under damp conditions that caught several drivers out. Mahindra's Nyck de Vries couldn't stop in time, hitting the barrier at Turn 12, while Ticktum and Drugovich's teammate Jake Dennis slid into the gravel at Turn 1, in a difficult braking zone.
Here's how it all unfolded in qualifying for the Madrid E-Prix.
Group A
With the surface remaining largely damp as the drivers took to the track, Group A's qualifying got underway on a slower note. Drivers preferred multiple warm-up laps to get their tyres into the right temperature window for the session, with championship leader Pascal Wehrlein's engineer even hinting at five preparation laps for the session.
The first flying laps only revealed the challenge drivers faced, with Wehrlein experiencing a massive slide at Turn 5 as he got up to speed.
After the first flying laps, it was António Félix da Costa on top with a 1:43.938, from de Vries and Wehrlein, with Envision Racing's Sébastien Buemi in fourth.
Nissan's Oliver Rowland and Citroën's Jean-Éric Vergne briefly moved into the top four, before being displaced by Wehrlein finding his way back towards the top. de Vries looked to be the most settled in the damp conditions, as he set purple sectors and went fastest with a 1:42.396.
The Dutchman would eventually lower the benchmark, setting a 1:41.926, with the top four remaining until the chequered flag dropped. Among the big names eliminated were Jaguar's Mitch Evans, who finished eighth in the group, while home favourite Pepe Martí was able to set the sixth-quickest time in Group A.
Through to duels - Nyck de Vries (Mahindra), António Félix da Costa (Jaguar), Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche), Oliver Rowland (Nissan)
Group B
With pole-sitters from four of the last five races featuring in Group B, there was no doubt the 10-minute session would be electric, and action-packed.
Among the big names in this group were Jeddah pole-sitter Edoardo Mortara, Andretti's Jake Dennis, Porsche's Nico Müller and Mexico City winner Nick Cassidy.
With just over four minutes to go, Cassidy managed to set the fastest lap time, ahead of Norman Nato, DS Penske's Max Günther and Mortara. Müller found his way back into the top four with a better lap, displacing Günther, while Dennis managed to find a strong lap to put himself third.
As the order shuffled, Nato managed to set a strong 1:40.949, but this time would soon be beaten as drivers got accustomed to the wetter track. The Nissan man would lower his benchmark to a 1:40.927, with Mortara and Cassidy slotting into second and third.
A major shock would see Dennis knocked out, with Günther finding a strong lap time to make it through to the duels by 0.042 seconds.
Dennis would drop down to sixth in the group as Dan Ticktum got past, while Müller experienced a slide at Turn 8, losing time on his final lap, and only ending up seventh in his group.
Through to duels: Norman Nato (Nissan), Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra), Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing), Max Günther (DS Penske)
Quarter finals
With the track still looking damp, drivers took to the track for the first round of the duels stages. Former teammates Wehrlein and da Costa were the first to go head-to-head to decide who would make it to the semi finals.
The championship leader's lap would begin in difficult fashion, as he went wide in Turn 1, losing a second to da Costa's time. Wehrlein would continue to struggle all along the lap, eventually finishing a whopping 4.5 seconds behind da Costa's time.
Drivers would continue to find it difficult around the winding corners, as Rowland would spin at Turn 3, with his quarter final lap going bust as he rejoined the circuit.
The Nissan man had gotten deep into the left-hander, losing the rear end as he aimed to get back on his lap. De Vries, who was the Nissan man's competition in this stage, eventually finished his lap in the 1:39s, over seven seconds to the good as he booked his place in the semi finals.
The third of the semi finals between Cassidy and Mortara brought about a closer fight, as they made it through the first sector unscathed. Despite the Swissman having a moment of oversteer in Turn 8, he was able to open up a gap of 0.2 seconds as they rounded the second sector.
However, a moment of oversteer at Turn 9 and a stellar final sector brought Cassidy back in the fray. The pendulum swung in the New Zealander's favour as he rounded the final corner, only 47 milliseconds to the good.
The final quarter final between Nato and Günther shaped for another close call. Despite being only two tenths down in the first sector, the DS Penske man experienced oversteer in Turn 6, the subsequent moment putting him off the racing line, and into the gravel at Turn 7.
Nato was able to coast to the line, and secure his spot in the semi finals, making it four different manufacturers in the top four for the grid.
Through to semi finals: Nato, de Vries, da Costa, Cassidy
Semi finals
The first semi final between da Costa and de Vries was set to be a close call, as the track continued to dry up. Yet, drivers found it difficult, with de Vries going off the track at Turn 1 on his warm up lap.
Despite being a tenth of a second down after the first series of corners, de Vries clawed back the time through the second sector, as da Costa experienced a moment of oversteer at the tricky Turn 6.
Another moment of going deep into Turn 9 cost the Portuguese driver plenty of lap time, with the Mahindra man sealing a spot in the final by a margin of 0.346 seconds.
The second semi final proved to be a straightforward affair, with Nato experiencing a moment of oversteer at Turn 6. The Nissan man would find himself in the gravel at Turn 7 once again, losing six seconds on his semi final lap, ceding a spot in the finals to Cassidy around a tricky Jarama circuit.
The Citroën man's semi final lap of 1:37.642 marked the quickest lap time of the qualifying session, and over six tenths quicker than de Vries' lap, putting him in the box seat for the final showdown.
Through to final: de Vries, Cassidy
Final - The pole-sitter for the Madrid E-Prix
Both de Vries and Cassidy set off on their final qualifying laps around the Jarama circuit, as the track continued to get drier with every passing minute.
Despite making it through Turn 1 unscathed, Cassidy would experience oversteer at Turn 2, losing two tenths of a second. However, de Vries would almost find himself sideways heading up Turn 6, holding his own and managing to get through Turn 7 without veering into the gravel.
However, Cassidy was able to find more time, with the gap swelling to over 0.2 seconds as the Citroën man rounded the final chicane. He would eventually seal the deal, setting a 1:37.141, and beating his own quickest time from the semi finals.
He also took the first pole for Citroën in their maiden Formula E season, as well as the first pole position around the Circuito del Jarama.
Classification - Qualifying for the Madrid E-Prix
Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing)
Nyck de Vries (Mahindra Racing)
António Félix da Costa (Jaguar)
Norman Nato (Nissan)
Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing)
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche)
Max Günther (DS Penske)
Oliver Rowland (Nissan)
Dan Ticktum (Cupra Kiro)
Zane Maloney (Lola Yamaha ABT)
Jake Dennis (Andretti)
Pepe Martí (Cupra Kiro)
Nico Müller (Porsche)
Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing)
Taylor Barnard (DS Penske)
Mitch Evans (Jaguar)
Joel Eriksson (Envision Racing)
Jean-Éric Vergne (Citroën Racing)
Lucas di Grassi (Lola Yamaha ABT)
Felipe Drugovich (Andretti)
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