Formula E – Da Costa Reflects on Victory and Looks Ahead to Portland

Formula E – Da Costa Reflects on Victory and Looks Ahead to Portland

António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche) clinched his second victory of Season 10 in Round 12 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the Shanghai E-Prix. He led NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes and Andretti’s Norman Nato to the podium in a race characterized by superior energy management and strategic prowess.

Da Costa seized the lead from Andretti’s Nato on Lap 16 and maintained his position until the end of the 28-lap race, despite Hughes’ late push. Hughes, who had secured the Julius Baer Pole Position by a mere 0.001 seconds earlier in the day, celebrated his first-ever Formula E podium finish amidst fierce competition, securing second place.

Nato finished third, with Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) in fourth after a collision damaged his front wing. Cassidy’s closest title rival, and da Costa’s teammate Pascal Wehrlein, faced a setback with a punctured tire, finishing outside the points.

Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans followed Cassidy in fifth, contributing to a strong team result for the current leaders of the Teams’ FIA World Championship. The DS PENSKE duo, Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Éric Vergne, finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Maximilian Günther (Maserati MSG Racing), Robin Frijns (Envision Racing), and Oliver Rowland (Nissan) rounded out the top ten. Reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E Team) finished just outside the points in 11th.

The results see Cassidy extend his lead to 25 points over Wehrlein in the Drivers’ FIA World Championship standings. Jaguar TCS Racing now holds 299 points in the Teams’ standings, with TAG Heuer Porsche on 226. Porsche leads the Manufacturers’ standings with 337 points to Jaguar’s 328.

For full Drivers’, Teams’, and Manufacturers’ standings:

Drivers

Position Driver Team Points
1 Nick Cassidy Jaguar TCS Racing 167
2 Pascal Wehrlein TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E 142
3 Mitch Evans Jaguar TCS Racing 132
4 Oliver Rowland Nissan Formula E Team 131
5 Jake Dennis Andretti Formula E 113
6 Jean-Éric Vergne DS Penske 101
7 António Félix da Costa TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E 84
8 Maximilian Günther Maserati MSG Racing 69
9 Stoffel Vandoorne DS Penske 53
10 Jake Hughes NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 46
11 Norman Nato Andretti Formula E 40
12 Sam Bird NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 38
13 Sacha Fenestraz Nissan Formula E Team 26
14 Sébastien Buemi Envision Racing 24
15 Robin Frijns Envision Racing 23
16 Nico Müller ABT CUPRA Formula E Team 18
17 Dan Ticktum ERT Formula E Team 12
18 Sérgio Sette Câmara ERT Formula E Team 11
19 Jehan Daruvala Maserati MSG Racing 8
20 Edoardo Mortara Mahindra Racing 7
21 Nyck De Vries Mahindra Racing 6
22 Taylor Barnard NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 5
23 Joel Eriksson Envision Racing 2
24 Lucas Di Grassi ABT CUPRA Formula E Team 2
25 Kelvin Van der Linde ABT CUPRA Formula E Team 0
26 Jordan King Mahindra Racing 0
27 Paul Aron Envision Racing 0

Teams

Position Team Points
1 Jaguar TCS Racing 299
2 TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team 226
3 Nissan Formula E Team 157
4 DS Penske 154
5 Andretti Formula E 153
6 NEOM McLaren Formula E Team 89
7 Maserati MSG Racing 77
8 Envision Racing 49
9 ERT Formula E Team 23
10 ABT CUPRA Formula E Team 20
11 Mahindra Racing 13

Manufacturers

Position Team Points
1 Porsche 337
2 Jaguar 328
3 Nissan 236
4 Stellantis 213
5 Mahindra 33
6 ERT 23

Da Costa Reflects on Victory and Looks Ahead to Portland
António Félix da Costa expressed his excitement, saying, “I’m super happy with the momentum that we’ve been able to build. It’s been a big run of races now since São Paulo, racing almost every two weeks, so we’ve been able to crack on and keep building a little bit more every weekend. We’ve had some sixth places, some fifth places and now we’ve had three wins in the last six or seven races so definitely good momentum.”

Looking ahead to the Portland race, da Costa added, “That was one of my best weekends last year, I got a podium there as well. I love racing in the States. We always do a bit of a training camp before which last year I did with Norman and Stoffel in LA getting ready for the race and it paid off. I do enjoy racing in the States, I think they do it differently there, they do it well, and it’s going to be fun.”

Jake Hughes Celebrates First Formula E Podium
Jake Hughes shared his thoughts on his first podium finish: “It’s about time isn’t it! I think I approached the race quite differently today. I think it’s fair to say these pack races haven’t been kind to me and I haven’t helped the situation as well. I think I took a leaf a bit probably out of Ollie [Rowland]’s book today and just wanted to make sure I stayed near the front and that meant being quite aggressive and trying to make some moves and it paid off.”

Norman Nato’s Patience Pays Off
Norman Nato was thrilled with his performance, stating, “It’s been a long time since the last one! Honestly, I’m really happy that finally all the hard work paid off. To make it in Formula E you sometimes need to be patient. We kept looking back at mistakes we’ve made but today, a key part of my race was at the start. I knew it would be important to place myself at the front, and that’s easy to say but not always easy to do because it’s the same strategy for everyone now.”

Zou Shiming and Ho-Pin Tung Enjoy Shanghai E-Prix
Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming experienced the thrills of the Shanghai E-Prix first-hand from the Mahindra garage, accompanied by his wife and family. During his visit, he met with ERT Team Principal, Alex Hui, and took an exhilarating lap in the FIA Safety Car with Bruno Correia.

Additionally, racing driver Ho-Pin Tung made an appearance as a spectator, reconnecting with old friends and fans, adding an extra touch of excitement and nostalgia to the event.

Up Next: Portland Double-Header
The championship now heads to Portland for a double-header on 29th & 30th June, marking the beginning of the decisive final four rounds of Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Source: Formula E
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