Autosport Top 50 of 2024: #50 Antonio Felix da Costa

In five Formula E races in the second half of the 2024 season, Antonio Felix da Costa took four wins in Berlin, Shanghai and Portland – where he doubled up.

Despite losing the previous win at Misano due to an illegal throttle pedal spring that yielded no concrete gains, the Portuguese finished the campaign with the most wins of any driver.

These performances marked a remarkable turnaround in form, following a poor start to the season that denied them a real title shot, putting their position with Porsche in jeopardy, and ending the 2019–20 champions’ reign in Formula E. could have been done.

Da Costa’s victory ranking

5. Misano 1

Da Costa’s ‘victory’ in Italy had to come at the bottom of this list. Although he won on the road, he was Ultimately disqualified for technical violation,

Nevertheless, his performance arguably saved his seat on the grid, Porsche faces tough scrutiny from within After failing to score in the first three races. ABT driver Nico Muller was assigned a test with the German manufacturer, leading to speculation that da Costa would be replaced mid-season.

After starting from 13th, da Costa stayed out of trouble unlike the major title heroes and made a decisive move into the lead on Oliver Rowland (Nissan) with three laps remaining before officials intervened.

4.Portland 1

Only three of the 27 laps during the opening race in the US were led by da Costa, and none of those were the final laps. After the Jaguars were expected to dominate proceedings, he fell behind to Mitch Evans.

With two laps remaining it was a 1–2 tie, with leader Nick Cassidy on the cusp of the title, but a spin near the final lap opened the door for Evans. However, the Kiwis were demoted to eighth place due to a five-second time penalty, handing the victory to da costa After maintaining constant pressure in the closing phase.

3. Shanghai 2

“I was secretly trying to tell them what the gameplan was and I think they understood,” Da Costa said. won in china After working with Norman Nato of Porsche customer team Andretti in the early stages.

The temperature proved to be a crucial element of the race and with overtaking at a premium around an abbreviated version of the Shanghai International Circuit used by Formula 1, da Costa ensured he remained in the lead throughout. He led 14 of the 28 laps and never got further than Lap 16, after passing Nato in Turn 1.

2.Portland 2

The final victory of their rollercoaster campaign, Da Costa’s race management was top notch Around the Portland track where overtaking was easier than most other circuits on the calendar.

After making his best qualifying effort of the season with second place, da Costa led throughout but only led one lap before the final stage. On a safety car restart, he jumped leader Robin Frijns (Envision) in Turn 1 and, despite constant threats from behind, never took the lead thereafter.

1.Berlin 2

his first Officer The win of the season went against da Costa. Defeated both Jaguar drivers in a fair fight Back in the day the Big Cat package was arguably the fastest combination in Berlin. Starting from 10th, da Costa took the lead from the seventh lap onwards and led a remarkable 23 of the 41 laps.

As Cassidy, Evans and Rowland battled from behind, da Costa managed his energy perfectly to hold off a charging Cassidy and begin the turnaround of his season.