Liam Lawson, preparing for his first full season with the Faenza-based Racing Bulls, has expressed interest in leveraging advice from fellow New Zealander and Formula E driver Nick Cassidy to adapt to Formula 1’s latest technical regulations. The new F1 rules require cars to use an even split of hybrid power, making energy management a critical skill for drivers.
The shift to 50-50 hybrid power units means mastering energy conservation techniques is now vital for success in Formula 1, a challenge long familiar to Formula E racers. Lawson identified Cassidy as highly skilled in this area, calling him “the best” at energy management and hoping to
be speaking to a lot more, asking for advice.
Conflicting Commitments Limit Cassidy’s Support
However, Cassidy revealed that his ability to assist Lawson may be limited due to his own involvement in Formula 1. Speaking to Motorsport Week ahead of his strong third-place finish in the Daytona 24 Hours LMP2 category, Cassidy described the situation as a conflict of interest.
He said,
Yeah, I mean, it was super nice of him [Lawson] to say that,
before adding,
Obviously, I wish him the best, just being a fellow Kiwi, but I’m affiliated with another F1 team myself and in a development role, so there’s very little I can probably help him with just because of a conflict of interest.
Cassidy’s Technical Insights Remain Valuable Despite Limits
Although direct support might be constrained, Cassidy highlighted the extensive experience gained by drivers who have progressed through different generations of Formula E cars. Moving from Gen2 to Gen3 and onto Gen4 involved adapting to various rule changes and vehicle challenges, deepening their understanding of energy preservation techniques and car performance.
He explained,
But I think the guys who’ve gone from Gen2 to Gen3 and Gen3 to Gen4 in Formula E have gone through different rulesets, different challenges and generations of car where you gain quite a lot of experience on not just how to save energy, but what’s the best for lap time, what’s the best for balance, a lot of other bits of software that probably aren’t spoken about in media because they’re bits of performance, and I think those things are really valuable to Formula 1 right now.
Cassidy also expressed a keen interest in closely following developments across Formula E, Hypercar racing, and his F1 development role, aiming to apply valuable insights across these racing programmes.
Implications for Lawson and Future Adaptation
Lawson faces a demanding challenge as he adapts to F1’s new hybrid era, where even minor improvements in energy management can impact race outcomes significantly. While direct guidance from Cassidy may be limited, the underlying knowledge gained by drivers like Cassidy in energy conservation remains a crucial reference point. Lawson’s ability to evolve in this hybrid context will likely influence his competitiveness with Racing Bulls and shape his trajectory in Formula 1’s evolving technical landscape.
