Yahoo Autos Shanghai win continues da Costa’s 2024 roller coaster ride
Antonio Felix da Costa feels he’s “having a run of a championship-contending driver” after winning for the second time in three races.
The Portuguese driver began the season with three non-scores and was the subject of speculation that he would be replaced at TAG Heuer Porsche by Abt Cupra driver Nico Mueller. The change never happened, however, and after back-to-back to-six finishes in Sao Paulo and Tokyo, da Costa won the first race of the Misano doubleheader. The win was subsequently stripped due to his car’s throttle damper spring not conforming to regulations, although that ruling remains subject to an ongoing appeal. Should it be reinstated, it would be three wins from the last seven races, and make da Costa the only three-time winner this season.
“I’m not doing many things different, to be honest — I think we just understood what works for me, as a team and we diverged a little bit from what works for Pascal and that’s fine,” da Costa said of his turnaround in form. “We just took a little bit of time to understand, mainly for the one-lap performance, and in the races we’ve usually been strong. I’m still super sad that me and Pascal haven’t been able to get on the podium together — we’ve been telling each other that we need to make that happen and it’s either him or me.
“But I’m super happy with the momentum that we’ve been able to build. It’s been a big run of races since Sao Paulo — almost every two weeks we’ve been racing and we’ve been able to crack on and keep building a little bit more every weekend with some sixth places, fifth places, and then eventually we got three wins on the track in the last six or seven races.
“So definitely good momentum. Really a shame how the year started, plus that lost win in Misano, otherwise I think we’ve been having a run of a championship-contending car and driver. It is what it is, we just try to have fun and give good races to the team.”
Shanghai continued the run of strong momentum for da Costa, here running third behind Stoffel Vandoorne and Jake Hughes. Sam Bagnall/Motorsport Images
After his Shanghai victory, da Costa joins teammate Pascal Wehrlein and Jaguar duo Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans as a two-time winner this season, but he admits the lost Misano win and the chance to lead the series in victories has been playing on his mind.
“That is something I’ve thought about,” he said. “Mitch has got two victories, Cass and Pascal as well, so it shows that the Jags and the Porsches, especially in these types of races where efficiency’s key, we have a little bit of an edge on the others I think, and that’s good.
“I’ve been through it all — I’ve been racing for 20-plus years and I don’t want to say that I’m getting old but we just get a little bit more used to difficult moments sometimes and how to deal with them. It’s never nice but it is what it is and we just have to crack on.”
After six events — nine races — in 11 weeks, Formula E now enters a five-week break before the series returns to Portland International Raceway, and da Costa has high hopes for the races in the U.S.
“That was one of my best weekends last year — I got a podium there as well, and I love racing in the States,” he said. “We always do a little bit of a training camp before. Last year I was with Norman Nato) and Stoff Vandoorne) in LA getting ready for the race and it paid off.
“I do enjoy racing in the States because I think they do it differently there, they do it well, and yeah it’s going to be fun.”
