CAPE TOWN, South Africa — António Félix da Costa won the inaugural ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in Cape Town to claim his first win for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.
The Season 6 champion returned to form in the previous race in Hyderabad with a third-place finish. But on a new track that saw Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz claim the Julius Baer Pole Position with the fastest lap in Formula E history at an average speed of 154.987 kmh, da Costa’s devastating drive delivered a well-earned victory.
The Porsche driver started in 11th but worked his way through the top 10 and into the top three by lap 20. With the pack squeezed by a full course yellow on lap 21, the top four were split by just 1.5 seconds. Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy had outdone Sacha Fenestraz and Maximilian Günther through the first round of ATTACK MODE activations, easing into the lead.
On lap, 24 da Costa’s outrageous pass to steal the lead from Cassidy at the trickiest part of the track — a tough turn seven, eight and nine combination that had been the site of three crashes earlier in the weekend — the Season 6 champion went around the outside of turn seven and held his position inside at turn eight.
The Portuguese driver pulled enough of a gap to take his second mandatory ATTACK MODE and retake the lead, but he missed the activation loop, handing the lead to Hyderabad winner Vergne a lap later. At this point, the Frenchman had never had back-to-back wins.
The former teammates then fought to the flag.
On lap 21, da Costa then tried the same stunning overtaking manuever once again, this time on Vergne. As before, there was no room to breathe, but da Costa once again went around the outside of turn seven into eight and nine, going on to a memorable race win under severe pressure from JEV.
Meanwhile, Fenestraz had made it by Cassidy to take a potential podium but heartbreakingly, the Nissan driver hit the wall on the final lap to crash out of the race. So near, yet so far for the rookie after another impressive race weekend.