Robin Frijns has “high hopes” for season 10 after performing well in pre-season testing last week, whilst he even won a mock-race.

Last week’s official Formula E test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia marked the start of Frijns’ return to Envision Racing, having initially left the side at the conclusion of season eight to join the ABT CUPRA Formula E Team.

It certainly hasn’t taken the Dutchman long to settle back into the Silverstone-based squad, as he was a regular amongst the leading places in each session. Frijns was one of 19 drivers to lap quicker than Maximilian Günther did in testing ahead of season nine, which the German topped.

Frijns was often at the back in the most recent campaign and is clearly hungry to return to the front, something he proved by winning the ‘race sim’. Last Friday morning, a mock-race took place to trial how the reintroduction of pit-stops would affect the racing, whilst Safety Cars and full-course yellows also featured.

The 32-year-old claimed the win ahead of António Félix da Costa. In the regular sessions, Frijns finished fourth on the timesheets on both Thursday and Friday, with him clearly having required no time at all to adjust to the superior Jaguar powertrain. Frijns used Mahindra’s lacklustre powertrain last season, as ABT CUPRA are the Indian manufacturer’s customer side.

One-lap pace isn’t a problem for Frijns, although one concern could potentially be that he was just one of seven regular Formula E drivers not to surpass 200 laps in the test. Frijns’ total number of laps for the week was 198, whereas Envision partner Sébastian Buemi completed 276 – the most of any driver.

Nevertheless, things are looking extremely positive for Frijns ahead of the season 10 opener in January, with the mock-race win having given him and the team a “good feeling”.

“It’s been a pretty good week for us,” Frijns said. “It’s been a hectic one as well, at the beginning, but we’ve now finished a good two days of testing.

“We did the race sim at the beginning of Friday and we won that – it does not mean anything really but it’s still a good feeling and good to travel to Mexico [for the opening race of the season] with this ‘victory’. It gives us a good feeling.

“At the end the pace [of the car] was not bad either, we were always in the top five overall. We are working well within the team so we have high hopes for next season.”

After a season away from the team, it’s been officially confirmed that Robin Frijns will be rejoining Envision Racing for the 2024 Formula E World Championship.

Envision confirmed on Tuesday morning that Frijns had returned to the Silverstone-based team, to replace season nine runner-up Nick Cassidy, who’s switch to Jaguar TCS Racing was announced on Monday.

Frijns originally left the side at the end of season eight ahead of the Gen3 era, which he started with backmarker ABT CUPRA. It’s believed that the Dutch driver became frustrated this year with the non-competitive nature of Mahindra’s powertrain, which proved to be one of the weakest on the grid.

Frijns returning to ABT was supposed to be a fairytale story, with the driver having competed in DTM with the Kempten-based team from 2018-2020. It ultimately didn’t work out as expected and was more of a nightmare, which started with a series of surgeries following a heavy crash at the Mexico City season-opener.

The 32-year-old is quite literally going from the bottom to the top by returning to Envision, with the side having recently won the Constructors’ Championship, whereas ABT CUPRA finished last. It really was a miserable season for Frijns, who’s standout performance was his incredible pole position in Berlin.

Returning to Envision feels like “coming home” for Frijns, who is eager to “win the championship” in season 10.

“I’m really excited about getting started again with Envision Racing after a year away from the team, it really does feel like coming home,” stated Frijns.

”It will be great to be joining a championship winning team. Envision Racing have been fighting at the top pretty much every season, and I can’t wait to get started. We have a great car, and the aim is to be competitive, which I am sure we will be, and I am driving to win the championship.”

Prior to ditching Envision for ABT CUPRA for season nine, Frijns had spent four seasons with the British side. In that time, he claimed two victories, a pole position and a further 10 podiums. He’s an experienced Formula E driver who certainly has the pace to be at the front when given the right machinery.

Envision Team Principal Sylvain Filippi knows exactly what he’s getting by re-signing Frijns, who he recalls was “always pushing at the front” during his previous four-year stint with the team.

“It is great to have Robin back with the team after one year away,” Filippi said.

“He enjoyed some memorable moments with Envision Racing over the years and was always pushing at the front and regularly fishing on the podium. The combination of Robin and Sébastien will be a strong one, and we can’t wait to get started for Season 10.“

Sébastian Buemi admitted that he was “not aware” of Nick Cassidy’s intentions prior to their collision at the recent London E-Prix, which cost the New Zealander the title.

The final weekend of the 2022/23 season at the ExCeL Centre was a very mixed one for Envision Racing, who got it all wrong when it came to Cassidy’s chances in the Drivers’ Championship.

At the London E-Prix double-header, Envision were making all the right calls at the start of the opening race, by having Buemi hold up eventual World Champion Jake Dennis. This allowed Cassidy to activate his first Attack Mode and maintain the race lead.

However, when the Kiwi activated his second Attack Mode, he dropped back a few places. He found himself behind Dennis and Buemi, who was calling for instructions from the team. Cassidy did manage to overtake Dennis, but was then stuck behind Buemi.

Envision appeared to buckle under the pressure, as they failed to inform their drivers about what to do. As a result, Cassidy tried to overtake Buemi without instructions from the team, leaving the season two Champion unaware of what was going on.

Cassidy tried to overtake Buemi around the outside of Turn 3, where the pair then collided. The collision broke Cassidy’s front wing and led to his retirement from the race moments later. This effectively handed the championship to Dennis, who was in a good enough position to rule Mitch Evans out of the title fight.

Buemi admitted after the race that he was “not aware” that Cassidy was going to attempt a move at Turn 3, with him having criticised the Silverstone-based team’s communication.

“Yeah, I saw it in the mirror,” Buemi told Motorsport Week. “I was obviously not aware he wanted to pass me there. I think communication could have been better on that side.”

Buemi’s race only got more eventful from that moment, as he was forced to drive very slowly in the closing laps. The Formula E veteran activated his final Attack Mode too late, meaning he had to drive slower to ensure that he’d used it all by the time the race finished.

This caused a train behind, with Norman Nato having ultimately dived down the inside of Buemi at the penultimate corner. The pair collided and caused a road block, which led to a red flag. Nato was slapped with a five-second time penalty as a result, much to the Nissan driver’s frustration.

When the race restarted, Buemi crossed the line in fourth but was promoted to third following a three-minute time penalty for António Félix da Costa.

Buemi was visibly dejected after the first race in the British capital and was unhappy with the team’s miscommunication, which destroyed Cassidy’s title hopes and put Envision under immense pressure in the Teams’ Standings.

“No, I guess there were some worse ones, but, yeah, in the end salvaging a few points,” Buemi said after the opening race in London, when asked if it was the toughest race of his Formula E career. “It’s been a tough race.”

“Really disappointed with the way we operated,” admitted Buemi.

“We lost a lot and it’s hard to accept, but we have a great car, we have a great opportunity tomorrow, so we’ll do the best we can.”

The 34-year-old was also not keen to discuss the collision with Nato, which the Nissan driver told Motorsport Week was Buemi’s fault.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” insisted Buemi.

“I think, in the end, that’s the way it is and I’m going to take those points and move on to tomorrow.”

Envision ultimately did pull together in the second race and managed to seal the Constructors’ Championship, marking their first title in nine years. Cassidy won the final race of the season in what were treacherous conditions, whilst Buemi claimed sixth.

Envision Racing Team Principal Sylvain Filippi admitted after Sunday’s season finale that winning the Constructors’ Championship is an “incredible feeling”.

Nick Cassidy’s victory in the second race of last weekend’s London E-Prix was enough to secure Envision the Teams’ Championship, marking their first title in nine years.

The Silverstone-based team have come close to the championship before, but have always fallen at the final hurdle. After the first race at the ExCeL Centre, it was starting to look like they were going to buckle under the pressure once again.

Envision entered the final weekend of the 2022/23 Formula E season with a 14-point lead over TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, who offered little competition in London. The side’s biggest threat came from Jaguar TCS Racing, whom they receive their powertrains from.

Jaguar sat 25 points behind Envision ahead of race one, but suddenly found themselves level on points after Cassidy and Sébastian Buemi collided. Miscommunication by the outfit resulted in an intra-team collision, which ended Cassidy’s title hopes after he was forced to retire.

Jaguar pounced on Envision’s error, with Mitch Evans having stormed to race one victory. It meant the title was wide-open between the two Jaguar-powered teams ahead of the final day of the season.

A Cassidy masterclass on his final day for the team was enough to seal the title for Envision though, after he converted his first outright pole position of the season into a fourth win of the campaign.

As Cassidy crossed the line at a wet ExCeL Centre, an outpour of emotion was seen in every corner of the team’s garage. It was the team boss himself who represented the side on the podium.

Filippi has done an incredible job at Envision, who are deserving World Champions, with the Team Principal having stressed afterwards that he’s “so proud” of the entire team for having claimed their first Formula E championship.

“Thank you. It took us nine years and it’s an incredible feeling,” revealed Filippi.

“It’s been an incredible season, it’s all been so close. An incredible job from the team and as you know we were in very close competition with Jaguar TCS Racing but we’ve had the most amazing car. It’s fast and it’s got us where we are today.

“We issued a team pep talk and chat late last night to regroup everyone. But ultimately our team is very strong and that is why I am so proud of them.”

Nick Cassidy was “proud” of himself for having won the 2022/23 Formula E season finale, following a sleepless night after his opening day disappointment in London.

Cassidy ended the Formula E season perfectly at the ExCeL Centre on Sunday, by bouncing back from his heartbreaking retirement in the first race of the double-header finale.

The Kiwi entered the London E-Prix as Jake Dennis’ main rival in the Drivers’ Championship, and started the weekend emphatically. He progressed to the final of the duels ahead of race one and ultimately inherited pole position from Mitch Evans, who had a five-place grid penalty.

Cassidy started the race flawlessly and led with conviction; however, his race and his title chances fell to pieces after activating his second Attack Mode. After activating his final Attack Mode, the New Zealander found himself directly ahead of Dennis but behind team-mate Sébastian Buemi.

Buemi was shouting over the radio to Envision Racing asking for instructions, with the Swiss driver having been keen to support his team-mate. Envision buckled under the pressure and failed to give Buemi and Cassidy accurate orders, resulting in Cassidy trying to overtake Buemi himself.

Cassidy was on the outside of Buemi at Turn 3 when contact was made between the pair, destroying his front wing and title chances. He was forced to immediately pit for repairs, before retiring from the race moments later.

Envision’s embarrassing blunder handed Dennis the title, and damaged their own chances in the Constructors’ Championship. The Silverstone-based side lost their entire lead in the standings, and entered the final day of the season level on points with Jaguar TCS Racing.

Cassidy was visibly dejected after the race and admitted that he struggled to sleep as a result, following his “difficult day”.

He arrived back to the circuit for the second race of the double-header keen to do the “business” though, and claim the Teams’ title for Envision before moving to Jaguar for 2024.

Remarkably, Cassidy claimed his first outright pole position of the season ahead of the finale, giving Envision a three-point lead heading into the last race of 2023. The conditions for the final race couldn’t have been any worse, as a series of heavy downpours resulted in two early red flags.

Due to the weather and the track conditions, the season finale featured two lengthy stoppages, with a combined delay time of 1h 10m. When the race did finally get properly underway, Cassidy was untouchable.

His experience racing in Japan in the Super Formula series helped him massively in the treacherous conditions, as he stormed to victory by over three seconds ahead of Evans. The leading duo were over 10 seconds ahead of Dennis in third, highlighting their superiority.

The result, most importantly, secured Envision their first championship in Formula E and saw Cassidy end the year second in the Drivers’ Championship.

He was “super super happy” to have done the job and to have secured Envision the championship, with the 28-year-old having hailed the side as an “incredible bunch of people”.

“It’s mixed emotions but ultimately I’m very happy because today was a difficult day for me mostly because I didn’t sleep well last night, I arrived late – but I did the business so I’m proud. The team have been absolutely incredible,” said Cassidy.

“They’re an incredible bunch of people and they work so hard. Of course every team does but these guys have been close on so many occasions and I think that just shows how strong they have been in this championship, and to finally get it done for them I am super super happy.”

Robin Frijns’ departure from ABT CUPRA was confirmed ahead of the 2022/23 Formula E season finale, with him set to return to Envision Racing.

Right before the final race in London got underway, it was announced by ABT CUPRA that Frijns’ contract for 2024 had been terminated, allowing him to move on.

It’s been reported by The Race that the Dutch driver signed a deal with former side Envision after the Rome E-Prix, which will see the two-time Formula E winner return to the Silverstone-based team.

He’s set to form an incredibly experienced driver pairing with Sébastian Buemi, as Nick Cassidy is set to be announced as Sam Bird’s replacement at Jaguar TCS Racing.

Frijns’ return to ABT CUPRA this season certainly didn’t go well, as the Kempten-based team boasted the most uncompetitive package on the grid. This was largely due to their powertrain supplier, Mahindra, who also endured a miserable year.

His return to the German outfit couldn’t have started any worse, as he fractured his hand and wrist in an opening lap crash at the Mexico City season-opener.

An operation followed, which saw him out for four races. Frijns’ return in São Paulo certainly didn’t set the world alight, with him having reportedly become frustrated with the team’s uncompetitiveness.

The 32-year-old ended the season with just two top 10 finishes and a shock pole position, which came at a drenched Berlin where ABT CUPRA came to life. Out of the drivers who started season nine, Frijns finished at the foot of the Drivers’ Championship on six points.

Frijns’ expected Envision return will see him quite literally go from the bottom to the top, with Envision having claimed the Constructors’ Championship at the season finale on Sunday. He’ll certainly have a competitive package at his disposal, but this will put him under pressure to deliver results.

Frijns’ departure comes as a disappointment to ABT CUPRA team-mate Nico Müller, who admitted that he was sad to see the Dutch driver leave.

“Yeah, I am,” Müller admitted to Motorsport Week. “I think he’s been a great attribute to the team.

“He has also contributed a lot to that great team spirit that I mentioned before. So he will be dearly missed, but now we’ll try our very best to beat him on track.”

With Frijns being so close to ABT, Team Principal Thomas Biermaier stated that the Dutch driver would continue to be a “member of the ABT family”.

Biermaier stressed that Frijns played an “important role” in helping the backmarker side improve throughout the campaign, in what he admitted was a “difficult year”.

“Robin was, is and will always remain a friend and member of the ABT family,” said Biermaier.

“He played an important role in our comeback with his great experience, although it was a difficult year for him after the accident at the start of the season. Now we wish him all the best for the new challenges.”

Nick Cassidy heads to the 2023 Formula E season finale proud of his “massive breakthrough year”, with the Envision Racing driver having a chance of leaving the London E-Prix as World Champion.

Cassidy has performed exceptionally in season nine, with him having been one of the most consistent drivers all year. He enters the London double-header 24 points behind championship leader Jake Dennis, with him being the British driver’s closest competitor.

The Envision driver would’ve been significantly closer to Dennis in the title fight if he hadn’t finished outside the points in the second race in Rome, something which happened through no fault of his own.

Cassidy tumbled to the back of the field on the second lap after fellow New Zealander Mitch Evans launched over him, ending the Jaguar TCS Racing driver’s realistic title chances.

Cassidy is still just about in contention for the Drivers’ Championship, with 58 points being up for grabs in East London. He recognises though, that he is a reasonable number of points behind Dennis, something which does take the “pressure off”.

“Because it’s now the 24 points sure takes pressure off,” Cassidy admitted to Motorsport Week.

“I’m sure it lets me attack more, but it doesn’t mean that I wanted to be in this position.”

It’s not just the Drivers’ Championship which Cassidy has to consider this weekend, with Envision currently leading the Constructors’ Standings by 14 points.

The Silverstone-based team sit narrowly ahead of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, leaving Cassidy with two titles to fight for. However, he’s opted to “focus” purely on the Drivers’ Championship, given that the more points he scores for himself, the more he’ll score for the team.

“I think I’ve just got to focus on the Drivers’ because, in the end, the more points I score is only going to help the team anyway,” said the Kiwi.

Regardless of whether Cassidy leaves London as World Champion or not, the 28-year-old has done brilliantly this season.

He’s very much developed into a leading driver in the all-electric series this campaign, with him having built in stature. The Auckland-born driver joined Formula E in 2021, a season which saw him claim two podiums and two pole positions.

In his second season for Envision and in Formula E last year, he claimed his first win and two poles once again, whereas this season he’s stormed to seven rostrums, which include three victories.

Cassidy views season nine as a “massive breakthrough year” for him, with the driver hoping that he can be “really proud” of himself come the end of the season finale on Sunday.

“Yeah, just a massive breakthrough year for me. Really good,” Cassidy said in reflection of his season.

“I hope to continue that this weekend, though, to add to the statistics, not to finish them here, and yeah, I hope on Sunday I can be really proud of myself.”

Nick Cassidy had to shift his mindset after “hot-headed” moment with teammate Sebastian Buemi in Berlin.

One of the main storylines of the Berlin weekend was the ongoing tension between Envision teammates Buemi and Cassidy, which started in the driver’s room post-race.

Posted to the Formula E social channels post-race, Buemi sat in the driver’s room in silence, ignoring teammate Cassidy who was attempting to ask the Swiss driver questions about his race.

After calling teammate Buemi out over the radio in Sunday’s FP3 session, Cassidy said post-race he had to reign himself in and examine his behaviour, something he attributed his success in the race to.

Things got worse for Cassidy when his lap time was deleted in qualifying for improper power activation, allowing Buemi through to the semi-finals.

“This morning I was a bit hot-headed, I needed to say to myself before the race ‘calm down a bit’ and pull myself back into line”

Team manager Sylvan Filippi was also quick to quash any discussions of tension between his drivers in the coverage post session while the drivers seemed more than happy chatting away to one another.

“When you have the car to win races and championships, the stakes are obviously higher. There’s a bit of frustration sometimes. It’s our job to calm things down and then make sure they are focused on the job. I would much rather have that and a quick car than the other way round.”

“”The boys get on famously. It’s all good. But when the prize is so near, and you can see something exciting, emotions are a bit higher. It’s normal to see that in any motorsport.”