Nick Cassidy says that he and Antonio Felix da Costa “just cried together” after their collision in the Formula E London season finale which denied the Jaguar driver the title.
Da Costa’s Porsche team-mate Pascal Wehrlein claimed this year’s Formula E drivers’ title as the German, Cassidy and the second Jaguar of Mitch Evans entered Sunday’s London E-Prix covered by just four points.
Cassidy had started on pole and sat third during the middle portion of the race, but in prime position to cycle back to the front having taken both his Attack Mode activations in comparison with Evans and Wehrlein ahead.
But his title aspirations were shattered when 2019-20 Formula E champion da Costa made contact with the right-rear tyre of Cassidy’s car, which caused a puncture and his eventual retirement.
“He’s [da Costa] a great friend, he’s a world champion, I’m not,” Cassidy told Autosport.
“We just cried together. He’s cost me a world championship but it wasn’t intentional, I know that, it’s just a mistake on his behalf. Big consequences for me.”
Da Costa started 10th for the race and was moving towards the front of the field in an effort to aid Wehrlein’s championship bid.
Running in fifth behind Nissan’s Oliver Rowland, who eventually won the race from Wehrlein, da Costa went for an overtake on the Briton up the inside into Turn 16 before collecting the helpless Cassidy ahead at the apex of the bend.
After the race, TV pictures showed the pair embraced with da Costa apologetic for his part in deciding the outcome of the drivers’ championship in such a manner.
“I feel horrible, because I’m happy to play a role as a team-mate to Pascal to help him with Attack Modes and influence the result in that way, but never in this way,” da Costa told Autosport.
“It feels horrible, not only of the action itself but also of the consequence that it had to him [Cassidy] because he had both his Attack Modes [done], it was just looking great for him.
“I can only say a massive sorry to him and his family, his team.
“It was a minimal touch which was enough to end in disaster for him and for that I’m really, really sorry.”
Da Costa was handed a five-second penalty for the collision, dropping the Portuguese driver from fifth down to 13th in the final classification.
This had a significant bearing on the new-for-2024 manufacturers’ championship and meant Jaguar took the accolade over Porsche by four points, having easily secured the teams’ championship by the healthier margin of 36 points.
