Cassidy: Getting Up to Speed with Peugeot “Might Take Time”

Nick Cassidy accepts that it will “take a bit of time” to get up to speed as part of Peugeot’s FIA World Endurance Championship effort after spending the last three seasons focused exclusively on the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Early last month, Cassidy was confirmed to join Peugeot’s 2026 WEC driver lineup as part of a wider deal with the French brand’s parent Stellantis Motorsport that will also see the New Zealander continue in Formula E with the new-look Citroen Racing team.

Cassidy was given his first taste of the marque’s 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar in a one-day test at the Circuit of The Americas on Sept. 9 following the Lone Star Le Mans race, which marked his first professional outing on slick tires since he tested an Indy car for Chip Ganassi Racing at Sebring International Raceway in February 2023.

His last full-season outside of Formula E came in 2022, when he drove Ferrari machinery in both the WEC’s GTE-Am class and the DTM for AF Corse.

Prior to that, Cassidy spent five years racing in Japan, during which time he captured the SUPER GT title in 2017 together with Ryo Hirakawa driving for TOM’S, as well as the Super Formula crown two years later with the Toyota flagship team.

Speaking to Sportscar365 prior to his COTA test, Cassidy acknowledged that his recent lack of experience in endurance racing could hinder him early on, but backed himself to return to his former level of competitiveness outside of Formula E.

“I’m really excited,” said Cassidy. “My move back to Europe from Japan [in 2021] was centred around Hypercar and Le Mans, and it was about being patient and waiting for the right opportunity. I feel like this is it.

“The top class in WEC has a lot of momentum right now, so it’s a good time to get involved.

“Being with Toyota in Japan, there was a conversation there, but before 2023, there was only really one manufacturer in Hypercar, whereas now, the category has grown and it has provided a lot more opportunity for a lot more drivers.

“One of the main reasons I did that season [in WEC] in 2022 was to tick Le Mans off and to get that experience and make future conversations a little bit easier.

“I did the Asian Le Mans Series [with Eurasia Motorsport] at the start of 2020 in LMP2, and that was also to gain experience, and I felt like at that point I was confident in myself and I knew that type of car from SUPER GT. I was driving a lot.

“I’m fully aware that I’ve come off three years in Formula E and it might take a bit of time to get back to that shape. I am confident I am get there based on past experience, but it might not be as soon as the first test.”

Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Jansonnie told reporters last month at Fuji that he was impressed by Cassidy’s performance during its COTA test, in which the team’s other confirmed 2026 signing Theo Pourchaire also drove.

Jansonnie added that Cassidy may get a further opportunity to drive the 9X8 in the Bahrain rookie test as he builds towards his race debut in Qatar next March.

Cassidy said he has continued to keep an eye on WEC from afar since his 2022 campaign for AF Corse, noting the high level of the series, but was reluctant to set any firm targets for his first season with Peugeot at this stage.

“It’s difficult for give a judgement on [Peugeot’s] performance, but what I can say from the outside is that everyone [in Hypercar] is operating on a great level and all the details are super-important,” said Cassidy. “The standard of the drivers is unbelievable.

“There are a lot of guys with experience that deserve to be here, and it’s never to easy to then come in when you don’t have the experience.

“The first target is to make sure I am close to the level of my teammates, but after that the teamwork and operating well as an organization is the priority.

“That’s quite a nice thing about this championship, but it’s also hard to give firm goals because there is so much outside your own performance that changes the outcome.”