Nick Cassidy out of 'jokers' in Formula E title fight admission

Nick Cassidy has expressed that he cannot afford any more bad races if he wishes to fight for the Formula E drivers' title, having already "used a couple of jokers".

The New Zealander has made an exceptional start to life at Citroën, finishing the season-opener in São Paulo on the podium before winning the second round in Mexico City.

While Cassidy can never be counted out, very few expected him and Citroën to taste victory so soon in what is a new partnership following his departure from Jaguar.

Already this year, Cassidy has briefly led the standings but now finds himself 20 points adrift of Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein.

A 16th-place finish in Miami and a 14th-place finish in the second race of the recent Jeddah double-header hurt Cassidy in the standings, sandwiching a P6 in the opening race in Saudi Arabia.

Remarkably, Cassidy's two non-points finishes have come in the only two races in which he progressed to the duels in qualifying.

The 31-year-old knows it will be an incredibly tight season, but he also recognises that he cannot now afford any further poor races if he is to become world champion this year.

Asked if he is pleased to see that he remains near the top of the standings even after some difficult results, Cassidy told RacingNews365: "Yeah, in some ways, but I feel like I've used a couple of jokers now. So if I want to fight for the title, I can't have any more, that's for sure.

"You know, the championship is so close and it's all together, but we've just got to execute like we did in those first couple of races, and do it more often."

Cassidy's opening rounds reflection

It is a remarkable statistic that Cassidy has only scored points in races he has started from 13th or lower, but it also highlights that his biggest strength at Jaguar has carried over to Citroën.

A significant question for Cassidy heading into his first season with the French brand was whether he would still be able to master a peloton race, having often sat in the midfield while preserving energy before charging to the front.

That question was answered immediately in São Paulo and Mexico City, while the first race in Jeddah was also a positive result. Miami and the second race in Jeddah are really the only blemishes.

Reflecting on the opening rounds with Citroën, Cassidy said: "Honestly, incredibly well overall. Like, if you'd asked me before [the second Jeddah] race, I'd have said that we've probably had a nine out of 10 start.

"I'd now say maybe an eight out of 10. But there are so many positives and so much good stuff. We've had three really strong races; we've had two that weren't.

"But yeah, those three have been stronger than I would have imagined. So there's just a lot of good stuff, which makes me really excited for the future."