Formula E graced our screens once again this past weekend with the first double header of Season 10. And, with this year's pecking order and championship contenders yet to be decided, Diriyah may well have been pivotal to this year's championship battle.
Starting off proceedings, race one was shaping up to give us an immense battle for the lead, with reigning world champion; Jake Dennis, double world champion; Jean-Eric Vergne and championship favourite; Mitch Evans, all gunning for the win. Alas, even with early attack modes and what was looking to be a strategic drive from Vergne, Dennis stretched his lead to achieve the biggest winning margin in Formula E history. But, where was Evans, I hear you ask? Well, after a strong start to the weekend, team orders and a costly mistake cruelly snatched away the Kiwi driver's first podium of the season. Could Diriyah have shown the first signs of tension between Evans and Jaguar as well as Evans and teammate; Nick Cassidy? I hope not. But, to rub salt into the wound, Cassidy would go onto win race two, while Evans finished in a dismal and lonely tenth.
Despite the battle out front and a bit of action towards the end, race one was another mediocre race in this Formula E season. However, the best was yet to come. Kind of.
Dan Ticktum, best known for his overly animated radio messages (and attitude), kicked off the drama in race two, with a pit stop before lights out. Yup, you read that correctly. Eventually he DNF'd and was joined by rookie - Jehan Daruvala - who lost his brakes, and not a rookie - Sam Bird - who damaged his suspension/steering rod in a botched overtake on cars ahead of him. And, you thought that was the fun part, huh?
What made Race Two a race was the return of overtaking; something Formula E is renowned for and something that has been missing so far in Season 10. Up and down the field, with the help of attack mode, the cars were racing as close as ever. Maybe Stoffel Vandoorne's failed attempted at activating attack contributed to this? Regardless, it was fun.
I've already ruined the surprise by telling you Cassidy won this race. But in reality, he nearly didn't. Hard racing meant drivers found themselves conserving energy by the end and the battle for the lead became at least a twelve horse race. It was shaping up to be the battle of the century but in proper motorsport fashion, it failed to come to fruition. A sigh of relief could be heard from the Jaguar camp. Cassidy is impressive so far this season. Are we really surprised? The only driver to finish on the podium at every race, as well as leading the championship? Like the race, this year is his to lose.
So what's next in Formula E? After three disastrous races, can Porsche driver Antonio Felix da Costa turn his season around? Can DS Penske keep their momentum going into the next race? Can Evans take a challenge to Cassidy? What a shame it is that we have to wait until 16th March for the next race in Brazil. Either way, things are looking interesting.
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