Reigning Formula E champion Antonio Felix da Costa and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing have announced that da Costa will sit behind the wheel of an IndyCar for the very first time on 02 November in a test at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Da Costa, 29, has spent six years in the all-electric Formula E series, with five wins to his name along with his 2019-20 series championship. Da Costa has also raced in various single-seater and GT classes across Europe, and finished second in the LMP2 class at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Da Costa and RLLR team co-owner Bobby Rahal are very familiar with one another through Rahal’s connections in the GT world, and da Costa is ecstatic about the opportunity to live out a dream.
“I have never hidden the fact that it’s a big dream of mine to come try out an Indy car,” said da Costa.
“I am a big fan of how America, and IndyCar in particular, goes about the sport and have been a huge fan for many years. I have known Bobby for a few years. We always met at the BMW Christmas dinners and every year I kept saying ‘Come on, let me have a go’ and finally now I got the call to come meet the team and test.”
“It’s very exciting times for me and something I have been looking forward to a lot. The first contact with the team has been very positive and everyone has been friendly. I can see there is a high level of professionalism in the team which was to be expected. I’m excited to get on track.”
Da Costa isn’t the first Formula E driver to make the jump to IndyCar. Felix Rosenqvist raced in Formula E from 2016 to 2018, and earned a full time ride with Chip Ganassi Racing, and has had two strong seasons with the team.
RLLR co-owner Mike Lanigan also expressed his interest in seeing the Portuguese driver behind the wheel, and eagerly awaits the data he will provide for the team.
“We have heard a lot of great things about this young man’s talent and look forward to good results from our test at Barber Motorsports Park,” Lanigan said.
“It always adds value to get another perspective and we are confident he can provide good insight.”
Due to COVID-19 related concerns, IndyCar was unable to race at Barber this season. However, the track is a strong one for RLLR, as the last winner at the circuit just so happens to be Takuma Sato, who won from the pole after a front row lockout by the team.
They won’t be the only team on-track either, as many other IndyCar teams are expected to also be at the track for this one-day test. Before that however, the 2020 season will conclude at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on 24-25 October.