Da Costa with TAG Heuer Porsche leading NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes and Andretti’s Norman Nato to the Race 2 podium of the Shanghai E-Prix.
After superior energy management and performance, 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 Pole Position by a mere 0.001 seconds earlier in the day, succeeded in securing his first-ever Formula E podium amidst fierce competition, ultimately finishing second.
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 tyre, 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.
Next, the championship 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.
António Félix da Costa, No. 13, Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E, said:
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. A real shame how the year started, plus that loss of win in Misano, but otherwise I think we’ve been having a run with a championship-contending car and driver.
I think Mitch [Evans] has got two victories, [Nick] Cassidy and Pascal [Wehrlein] are on a roll as well so obviously it shows that the Jags and the Porsches at these types of races, where efficiency is key, have a little bit of an edge on the others I think, and that’s good.
When asked about the upcoming race in Portland, he said:
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, No. 5, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, said:
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. It’s amazing how much easier the race felt driving like it did today. So, it’s hopefully something we can continue.
Norman Nato, No. 13, Andretti Formula E Team, said:
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.
“You’re never sure of anything in Formula E but I think we are learning from the past [races] so that’s why it’s really important to enjoy the moment, because it’s also really good points for us. We’re getting to the end of the season pretty soon, so points are important. It’s a shame that we couldn’t share this podium with Jake as well, as he’s been having a really good season so far. It’s really important for the team championship that today we made a podium and hopefully we can do it again in Portland and in London.
In the following links, you can read and/or download the Final Classification Race 2 in Shanghai, the Drivers Championship and the Teams Championship standings. (PDF)
087_Doc 87 – Final Classification Race Round 12
088_Doc 88 – Drivers Championship points after R12
089_Doc 89 – Teams Championship points after R12
Fonte: Formula E
Foto: Cortesia Formula E
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