Who leaves the Mexico City E-Prix happy?

Written by Teagan Crump, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

Credit: Hector Vivas/LAT Images

Formula E’s Mexico City E-Prix will have left several drivers experiencing different emotions. Some drivers were elated, while others shared their annoyance and frustration, even on social media. Nick Cassidy’s win showed that, despite being the new team on the grid, Citroën could pull off some strong performances to match their established contenders. 

But who else left Mexico happy? Let's take a look in this piece....

Pepe Martí

Qualifying down in 19th and facing a 60-place grid penalty to be served, Pepe Martí certainly faced an uphill task during the Mexico City E-Prix weekend. However, despite serving a 10-second stop-go penalty early on, he redeemed himself by the chequered flag. 

The Spaniard's E-Prix debut in São Paulo hadn’t provided plenty of experience to fall back on, making his point-scoring run even more impressive.

Pepe Martí on track during FP1 | Hector Vivas/LAT Images

Having scored six points after finishing seventh, Martí was elated:

“I’m obviously very happy with the end result today. Finishing seventh after starting from the very back with a 10-second stop go penalty, you can’t really ask for any more. From within the car, I think there are some things I could have done better throughout the race, but nonetheless, we can be very proud of how it all went. It’s a good feeling to get my first points in Formula E here in Mexico and I’m very excited for the team’s home race in Miami.”

Nick Cassidy and Citroën

While Nick Cassidy appears as an obvious choice, his Mexico City E-Prix performance will mean that he has definitely left happy. The French team had a strong start to the season with a podium in São Paulo, and now Cassidy’s win has cemented them as early favourites for Season 12.

Nick Cassidy won his first race with Citroën | ​​Simon Galloway/LAT Images

Having qualified 13th for the race, Cassidy’s outlook for the race looked to be relatively uneventful, potentially looking at scoring only a few points. However, in typical Formula E fashion, the race ended up being extremely eventful but Cassidy reinforced the idea that he can stay calm under pressure and perform when it is necessary.

After the race, the New Zealander praised his engineer for making smart decisions during the race, saying:

“I was happy with the P4 today, starting P13, my radio was very much like ‘let’s secure a good result’, but my engineer has always been making the right calls. This one is very much for him as it is for me and the whole team. It’s the team, the car, the package and the strategy that enabled us to win that race – you can’t win this race with a bad car.”

Porsche

Nico Müller and Porsche left Mexico happy after scoring more points | Credit: Simon Galloway/LAT Images

In recent seasons, Porsche has been a leading team in Formula E, Season 12 looks to be no different. Both drivers performed well at Valencia Pre-Season testing and have also scored valuable points in both races. 

Although Wehrlein only managed 11th in qualifying, he climbed up the grid and gained places by virtue of an early attack mode activation, avoiding contact during a hectic race. He even managed to take the race lead early on, before having to drop back and preserve energy.

Müller outqualified his world champion teammate, showing that he has potential and can fight at the front of the field. He took the lead of the E-Prix and showcased his skillset. Eventually, he finished in ninth, falling behind those in attack mode towards the end of the race.

It is only a matter of time until the Porsche duo claim at least a podium, if not a race win.

Taylor Barnard

Formula E’s youngest-ever podium sitter delivered an impressive performance at the Mexico City E-Prix. He qualified in second place, only behind one of the most experienced Formula E drivers of all time, Sébastien Buemi.

Taylor Barnard qualified in second for the Mexico City E-Prix | Simon Galloway/LAT Images

The young Briton managed to keep his cool during the chaos of the first corner of the first lap, even taking the lead of the race. While he did narrowly miss out on a podium, fourth position is still a strong result that could indicate that Barnard’s season will only improve. Additionally, Barnard’s fourth-place finish sits nine positions better than his São Paulo E-Prix result.

On social media, Barnard was happy to take his first points of the year, saying:

“Incredible support as always, so thank you to everyone that showed up.

Happy to take some valuable points away from the weekend after a difficult start in São Paulo. P4 in the race and fighting for Pole is always positive.

Big thanks to the team, the car worked well all weekend.”