António Félix da Costa‘s one-hundredth race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was certainly one to remember, with the Portuguese driver having claimed his first podium for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team at the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix.
It was a thrilling race, with Da Costa having meticulously worked his way through the field after starting thirteenth. All four Porsche-powered cars qualified poorly, largely due to effectively missing Free Practice One, following an issue for Da Costa’s team-mate. Despite this, Da Costa managed to work his way through the field and, most importantly, avoid all the carnage that was taking place.
Da Costa capitalised on a catalogue of incidents that took place ahead of him, something that saw him rise towards the top rapidly towards the end. Whilst he finished third, Da Costa actually crossed the line in fourth, but was promoted to the podium after Sébastian Buemi was awarded a seventeen-second time penalty after the race.
Regardless of how he claimed the podium, the most important thing is that he was in the right position to make the most of everything that unfolded, giving him a one-hundredth race in the series to celebrate for the former Champion.
“That was a typical Formula E race – exciting to the finish. I got off to a good start but lost a few positions in the pack. We kept our cool and our attack mode worked perfectly. Starting from P13 and finishing third is a terrific result – especially at my 100th Formula E race. I’m supported by a great team. We’ve worked hard and progressed from race to race. We’ll continue on this path.”
“Some small details on the car weren’t quite right” – Pascal Wehrlein
For Pascal Wehrlein, it was a strong end to what was a very challenging weekend, with the German having been sent to hospital after Free Practice One. The German crashed heavily in the first session of the weekend after an issue with his VCU, which effectively saw his throttle jam open.
The heavy impact with the barrier saw him sent to hospital for a check-up, with him having complained about a sore back. Porsche kept the other three cars in the pits so that they could analyse the data from the crash, something which hurt the side come qualifying. Given his lack of running, Wehrlein could only manage twelfth on the grid, alongside early title rival Jake Dennis on the sixth row.
Wehrlein’s race was very interesting, with him having not flown through the field as he has done at every race so far this season, suggesting that Porsche have already been caught by their opponents. Nevertheless, he made up some places and actually crossed the line in seventh; however, he was promoted to fifth due to two drivers ahead having five-second time penalties and then to fourth following Buemi’s post-race penalty.
All in all, it was an incredible recovery for Wehrlein, who actually extended his lead in the Drivers’ Championship due to Dennis finishing sixteenth. Wehrlein now boasts an eighteen-point lead and is the only driver to have scored points at every round this season, after what was a “great day” for himself and the German manufacturer.
“I started the race from the twelfth grid spot and earned points for fourth place – I’m very happy with that. After my accident during free practice, I was sent to hospital in the late evening because my back was very painful. It was still sore today but otherwise, everything is fine. I’m pleased for António. He was able to demonstrate how good he is.
“The fact that we missed out on an entire practice session as a result of the accident was noticeable. Some small details on the car weren’t quite right. Still, all in all it was a great day.”
