BY EDN Reporter
Portugues driver Anthony Felix da Costa made history as the first Cape Town E-Prix winner, following a daring drive towards the end of the race.
In his fifth race for Tag Heuer Porsche, the season six champion made use of his golden opportunities from 11th place through the yellow flags, and his last overtake on DS Penske driver Jean-Eric Vergne in the final lap on turn nine, to take first position.
“I have got tears in my eyes. It has been hard, thank you to my team, TAG Heuer Porsche. I’m sorry to the fans that it took so long,” said Da Costa.
“For the first time, I don’t have a lot to say! There was a lot of weight on my shoulders – thanks to the ones who have stuck with me and helped me get here. It has been a journey, and it feels nice. I was prepared to give it all. There was a moment there in the race when I thought if I missed the ATTACK mode it was gone and I would have to finish second, but when I dropped behind him, I could see the energy coming back and I said let’s go for it! It’s the only way I like to do it. What a journey”, he said.
The man whose victory was snatched in the closing laps said Da Costa drove a wonderful race.
“I’m very happy for him”, Vergne said as he congratulated his former teammate. “He did a fantastic race. Very good move as well. I genuinely didn’t see him coming. So, well done to him. He used that to his advantage. I’m a bit frustrated, of course”.
The move was widely praised by other drivers and fans, contributing to the exhilarating atmosphere of the day. Da Costa’s teammate and current Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein had his race cut short after he collided with the back of the Envision Racing car of Sebastian Buemi at turn seven.
HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE 🤌
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) February 25, 2023
A move worthy of winning any race. Take a bow @AFelixdacosta 👏#CapeTownEPrix pic.twitter.com/G2hrANaCTk
Third-placed driver Nick Cassidy felt he had a challenging race on the high-speed 2.921km circuit. The driver fell two places in his battle with Nissan’s Sascha Fenestraz after starting third, expressing bittersweet sentiments on the race.
“The last yellow flag absolutely sucked. Before the day I would’ve been happy for third but considering how the race was going, it was ours to lose,” Cassidy said.
“I think pace comes down to how much energy you have really, I think we have got to be happy with today. Whenever you get third in Formula E it’s a good day. We have been strong and have to walk away with a smile.”
At the start of the race, Fenestraz led cleanly ahead of Maserati’s Maximilian Guënther, who gave a strong drive in the fight for first from second place. But he too crashed out of the race at the infamous turn seven sector, ending Maserati’s chance for points following second driver Edoardo Mortara’s early retirement.
Fan favourites Jaguar Tata had their race turned upside-down with driver Sam Bird withdrawing from the race due to crashing in the qualifying session, and Mitch Evans handed a drive-through penalty for overpowering.
Reigning champion and DS Penske Stoffel Vandoorne settled for seventh while his teammate steered to the podium. Norman Nato (Nissan), André Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) and Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) rounded out the top 10 and claimed points.
Despite his early retirement, Wehrlein still leads the Drivers World Championship with 80 points to Jake Dennis’ 62. Vergne jumps to 50 points in third with da Costa now into fourth on 46.
Porsche leads Envision Racing 126 points to 84 in the Teams running. Attendees from across the country and parts of the world converged around Green Point Stadium to celebrate the first E-Prix in South Africa.
South African National Rugby Team Captain Siya Kolisi, Grammy Award-winning DJ Black Coffee, and the DHL Stormers were some of the popular faces to make an appearance.
