Nick Cassidy delivered one of the drives of the GEN3 era to give Citroën Racing its first victory in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The New Zealander charged from 13th on the grid to win the 150th race in the championship’s history at the 2026 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix.
In only Citroën’s second appearance in Formula E, Cassidy carved through the field with a clinical performance. He timed his use of the series’ two 50kW all-wheel-drive Attack Mode boosts to perfection.
By the closing laps, the 30-year-old had surged to the front, holding off Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing) and reigning world champion Oliver Rowland (Nissan Formula E Team) in a tight finish.
It marked Cassidy’s fourth win in five races stretching back to the end of last season. This performance reinforces his reputation as one of Formula E’s tactical racers. Mortara came under pressure late on after delaying his Attack Mode activation, while Rowland loomed large in his mirrors through the final sector.
At the flag, the top five were covered by little more than a second.
The race sparked into life at the start when Taylor Barnard launched from the second row, forcing polesitter Sébastien Buemi into a defensive error at Turn 1. Barnard briefly led on lap one as he chased the record for Formula E’s youngest-ever winner, but the energy management phase soon shuffled him back into the pack.
The Briton recovered strongly to finish fourth, passing Jake Dennis on the run to the line.
Dennis completed the top five ahead of Pascal Wehrlein.
Further back, Pepe Martí produced a standout recovery drive for Cupra KIRO. After serving a stop/go penalty and starting at the back following his heavy São Paulo crash, the Spaniard climbed into seventh to score his first Formula E points. He finished ahead of Jean-Éric Vergne, Nico Müller and Norman Nato.
The result sends Cassidy to the top of the drivers’ standings on 40 points, ahead of Dennis on 36 and Rowland on 34. Citroën leads Andretti 44–36 in the teams’ championship, while Stellantis holds a seven-point advantage over Porsche in the manufacturers’ table.
“This is unbelievable. To win here in front of these fans, with this atmosphere, in only our second race with Citroën – it’s a dream start. I honestly didn’t think we were safe until the last lap. The team made the right calls all the way through and this result is as much theirs as it is mine.”
He added with a smile: “I made a deal with JEV that if I won I’d shave my head. There’s a stat that whoever wins here goes on to win the championship – so I wasn’t giving that one up.”
Mortara was positive after securing Mahindra’s first podium of the season.
“Nick had a very strong race. We struggled a bit in the middle phase, which meant we couldn’t really attack at the end, but P2 is a solid result and good points for the team.”
Rowland, who recovered from an early Full Course Yellow after taking Attack Mode aggressively, praised both the race and the crowd.
“I thought my race was over at one point. But we managed the energy well and had the pace when it mattered. To get a podium here is special – the fans in Mexico are incredible.”
Stars turn out as Mexico City delivers on and off track
The season opener was played out in front of a sold-out crowd and a high-profile guest list. Actor, DJ and Cupra KIRO co-owner Idris Elba attended alongside his wife Sabrina Elba, while British Olympic diving champion Matty Lee enjoyed the action from Formula E’s EMOTION CLUB hospitality.
Lee completed an Electric Lap in the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Safety Car.
Saturday’s race day was rounded off with live music from Colombian star Mike Bahía, joined by producer Sinego and Mexican artist LABIBE. This reinforces why the Mexico City E-Prix remains one of Formula E’s standout events – a festival of electric racing, strategy and spectacle.
