Tag Heuer Porsche driver Antonio Felix da Costa has said his team suffered a “kick in the butt” at the Jeddah E-Prix, and has warned its rivals that they are catching-up quickly as Formula E enters a mid-season break.

The Portuguese suffered a tough weekend at the city’s inaugural E-Prix, finishing ninth in Race 1, and then retiring in Race 2 after an early collision with Maximilian Guenther.

Having entered the weekend first in the championship, da Costa now sits in third behind leader Oliver Rowland and Taylor Barnard, 29 points adrift of the Nissan driver.

The Nissan powertrain – which also powers Barnard’s NEOM McLaren team – looked strong over both races, proving the Japanese marque’s progress and the works team’s credentials as a title favourite.

After the race, in which he retired after a first-lap collision with Maximilian Guenther, da Costa told media including Motorsport Week that the weekend was one that showed the German giants must not rest on its laurels.

“I think the biggest takeaway from this weekend is that our competitors are waking up and getting close, so I think that’s also good for us,” he said.

“It’s a kick in the butt in the good sense of the expression, and we’re definitely going to work even harder, I’m not worried about that.”

Seemingly da Costa views Rowland as his – and the Porsche team’s – main championship challenger, the Brit having already equalled his Season 10 win tally, and said the break between Jeddah and the Miami E-Prix – scheduled for April 12 – will provide the team an ample opportunity to reset itself and work hard towards maintaining its reputation as the fastest overall package on the grid this season.

“We have some time between now and Miami, so I think that’s good for us, but as you’ve seen, the others are not sleeping either, so everybody’s going to improve, we just have to make sure we keep on improving as well.

“I’m sure we have a strong enough package to give Nissan and Oliver a run for their money.”

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Tag Heuer Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa went fastest in FP2 ahead of qualifying for this evening’s first race of the Formula E Jeddah E-Prix double-header.

The Portuguese went quickest with a time of 1:15.470, one tenth ahead of DS Penske’s Maximilian Guenther in second.

Jake Hughes was a further tenth adrift in third, with Norman Nato continuing to look fast after second in FP2 with fourth-fastest, with a 1:15.711.

Oliver Rowland, who was fastest yesterday, was fifth, with Edouardo Mortara’s Mahindra in sixth, and Nico Mueller seventh.

Sam Bird was eighth for NEOM McLaren, with da Costa’s team-mate Pascal Wehrlein in ninth, with Cupra Kiro’s David Beckmann 10th.

The session was halted twice by red flags, the first early-on due to Robin Frijns’ Envision stopping out on track due to a technical glitch.

The second came with just a matter of seconds remaining, with former FE teammates Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries coming together at Turn 13, the Dutchman’s Mahindra spearing into the barrier as he tried to pass the Belgian’s Maserati.

READ MORE – Exclusive: Antonio Felix da Costa says ‘race smart’ and ‘measure risks’ key to Formula E success

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Antonio Felix da Costa has said that racing with intelligence and knowing when and when not to take risks is what will help him in his Formula E title bid.

The Portuguese, who is leading the World Championship after two second-place finishes in the opening two rounds, has already spoken about how consistency is what will enable him to mount a serious challenge, having won four races in Season 10 but only finishing P5 in the standings.

Speaking to Motorsport Week, da Costa admitted that whilst he doesn’t like the title talk being banded about too early, he is aware the “the championship plot is always there, but that’s the end goal.

“But the reality is, yeah, we just have to keep doing what we’re doing, race smart, measure the risks that we take. I think we’ve had the cursor in the right place, you know, in measuring our risks versus rewards, and yeah, look, we were in contention to win two races, and in the end we decided to settle for second, because we know the end game. 

“So yeah, just keep the work going. I know we’re not going to finish second all the time, I know we’re not going to win every race, but I want this to be the year of consistency, and I think that’s the key.”

Balancing the risks from the potential reward is one of the key aspects of Formula E, as fortunes and results can flip like a coin, but da Costa also acknowledges that whilst Porsche might have the fastest car, others will always be lurking around to pounce and get the better of them.

“I think every race that we lose out to somebody who gambled, we can’t be mad about that.

“There will be more people winning races with a little bit of luck this year, and that’s fine. If we do end up losing a race win because we did something wrong ourselves, then yes, we need to kind of slap ourselves on the wrist and learn from it. 

“But the way we’ve lost a race in Brazil, the way we’ve lost a race in Mexico, I’ll never be angry about those. It’s a shame we lost a race in Brazil to Mitch, who will be a championship contender, and again in Mexico to Oliver, who will be a championship contender.”

Jeddah circuit ‘feels weird’ but da Costa hopeful of Porsche result

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is staging the Saudi Arabian leg of the championship for the first time, and the smooth surface is not what FE drivers are used to, but da Costa has faith in the Porsche car to perform well on all circuits, as it predominantly did last season, but said the layout is, understandably, not what he is used to in this category.

“Whenever we go to super smooth places, it feels really weird for me. I think we’re not spoiled with this type of track.

“We have permanent circuits and stuff, but it is what it is – same for everybody. I think we’ve done well in permanent tracks in the past, looking at Misano [S10, when da Costa won Race 1, though later disqualified, with Wehrlein winning Race 2], looking at Mexico [P2-P3], Shanghai [S10, da Costa won Race 2], so it’s places that we do well, so I’m not anticipating anything out of the ordinary here. 

“I think the package is strong, and we have everything to be in the top five. The flow of the track seems pretty cool in the sim, at least that’s as far as we went. Let’s see.”

READ MORE – Jeddah E-Prix: Oliver Rowland leads Nissan 1-2 in FP1

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Inter Europol Competition has confirmed Antonio Felix da Costa in their 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship lineup for the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The famed Polish bakery outfit has outlined da Costa in their full driver lineup ahead of the 2025 IMSA season.

Da Costa has previously entered just one IMSA race with the Jackie Chan-JOTA project, also in an Oreca 07 LMP2.

Despite the seven-year gap since his only Daytona appearance, he is no stranger to sportscar racing. He drove with BMW in the GTE Pro class and JOTA across four FIA World Endurance Championship seasons in LMP2 and Hypercar machinery.

The Portuguese driver said: “I’m very happy to get myself a shot at the Daytona 24 Hours.

“Especially with the championship-winning team from IMSA last year.

“Inter Europol has accomplished a lot in the last few years, so it’s the perfect place for me to come back into the LMP2 class, and I can’t wait to get started and work with the whole team and my teammates.”

Inter Europol’s 2025 driver pairing

During the 2024 season, the Centenary Le Mans winning outfit, Inter Europol, entered IMSA for the first time after LMP2 left the WEC full-season package.

They partnered with the 2023 IMSA LMP2 champions PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports and successfully won this year’s title after the season finale in October.

For 2025, however, they have chosen to pursue the season by their own means.

Tom Dillmann has continued with the team having been a key part of their title-winning 2024 season campaign, now as a third driver at the Endurance Cup rounds.

Bjoy Garg will compete with Jon Field for the full 2025 season, having completed his first LMP2 Endurance season with United Autosports – and claimed LMP2 victory at Le Mans.

Field has a plethora of experience in the American sportscar racing scene from Grand Am and the American Le Mans Series, and tested recently with Inter Europol.

He said: “I’m thrilled to be back racing in the IMSA championship once again… although it’s changed a bit since I last raced in the series.

“I am pleased to be racing with Inter Europol Competition too.

“They have a strong pedigree in LMP2 racing, so I feel I am in good hands with them and my co-drivers.

“Joining the team off the back of their IMSA LMP2 championship win last season, I feel we have a good package to go for that championship win once again.

“I can’t wait to get started at Daytona.”

The 2025 IMSA season-opener commences on 25-26 January 2025 where Inter Europol will begin their LMP2 title defence.

READ MORE: Petit Le Mans winner Sebastien Bourdais joins Tower Motorsports

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FIA Formula E have confirmed that the Tag Heuer Porsche duo of Champion Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa will continue with the team for the 11th season of the championship.

The German marque have chosen to opt for continuity after a season which saw Wehrlein take his first FE Drivers’ title, and with da Costa scoring four wins to finish fifth in the table.

Both drivers were on long-term deals that stretched to at least the end of Season 11, but da Costa’s seat was not yet decided until late in the season, after a tumultuous start which saw Nico Müller tested with a view to replacing the Portuguese.

However, a tremendous run of form, which also saw a disqualified victory in Misano days after the news of Müller’s test broke, Team Principal Florian Modlinger chose to stick with the pair to be the Porsche duo to enter the GEN3 Evo era.

The team fell just short of both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ trophies, the latter slipping from their grasp post-London after da Costa was penalised for his part in a collision with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy, which handed the British team the title instead.

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Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship was perhaps the most dramatic in the sport’s decade-long history. Many drivers showed their class, but only five can make Motorsport Week’s list of top performers. So, who are they?

5 Nick Cassidy

Cassidy matched his superb Season 9 showing with a fabulous debut season for Jaguar TCS Racing. An early-season victory in Diriyah set the tone for a title challenge that saw plenty of incredible performances, most notably his victory in Berlin Race 1, in which he dragged himself from 19^th place to take victory, earning him the moniker Prince of the Peloton.

However, Cassidy’s agonising season conclusion began in Portland. On the penultimate lap, with a win due to cement a buffer of around 50 points, the Kiwi spun in the lead, dropping out of the points, opening-up the title race.

A further non-points finish in Race 2 confined him to a final weekend showdown. Despite a fantastic damage limitation drive in Race 1, a strategic blunder by his team left him in the clutches of other cars, and contact with Antonio Felix da Costa deflated his right rear tyre, as well as his championship hopes.

Despite the watershed moments that rendered his season fruitless, nothing should take away the performances that have confirmed that Cassidy is one of the very top drivers in Formula E, and with the right car beneath him, Season 11 could be his year.

4 Mitch Evans

The second Kiwi in the second Jaguar, Evans, like his countryman and good friend Cassidy, came desperately close to the title. After scoring points in five out of the first six races, Evans’ high point came at the midway point of the season, leading-home brilliant Jaguar one-two in Monaco.

Evans would go on to score points in every remaining race, including picking-up another win in Shanghai. A double podium in London would ultimately not be enough to give him the championship, further emphasising the reputation of being the bridesmaid, never the bride.

His big moment would also come in Portland, inheriting the lead after Cassidy’s spin, but not given the win due to an earlier time penalty, harshly given for a clash with Jake Hughes. If Evans continues to drive in the manner we are all used to seeing, then a first Formula E title will surely not be too far away.

3 Antonio Felix da Costa

After an underwhelming debut season with Porsche, da Costa entered Season 10 with two poor weekends in Mexico and Diriyah. Within the seven-week wait between that weekend and Sao Paulo, Porsche made the bold move to test ABT Cupra’s Nico Müller with a view to replacing da Costa.

Other drivers may have crumbled, but not da Costa. With points finishes in Sao Paulo and Tokyo, the Portuguese arrived in Misano with the news of Müller’s test off the presses, and brushed it off accordingly with a fantastic win…only to be disqualified six hours later for an illegal throttle damper spring.

Shrugging off any thoughts of ‘woe me’, da Costa continued to score points in Monaco and Berlin Race 1, before finally taking a win he could keep in the second race. He followed this up with a dominant showing in Shanghai, and then taking both races in Portland, to keep himself in title contention.

Da Costa’s redemption arc was one of the stories of Season 10, and that level of form will make him one of the early-season favourites for title glory once we start again in December.

2 Pascal Wehrlein

Wehrlein, like Cassidy, set the tone for his season early-on, with a lights-to-flag victory from pole position in the opening round in Mexico. The pole was a pivotal turning-point for the Tag Heuer Porsche team, with qualifying having been their Achilles’ Heel across Season 9, which cost the German a shot at glory, having been the title-leader at the halfway stage then.

Like Evans, Wehrlein would consistently pick-up points, earning another victory in Misano, as well as second in Shanghai, having battled both Jaguars at very close quarters. Taking 13 points in Portland would enable him to set himself up for the championship in London, and, despite being 12 points adrift, a superb win in Race 1 and second in Race 2 saw him capitalise on Jaguar’s mishaps and take his first FE title.

Ultimately, the man with the most points deserved the title, and Wehrlein was without a doubt the deserving claimant of the crown and based on this level of form, don’t ever doubt the possibility of him retaining it.

1 Oliver Rowland

Motorsport Week’s Formula E driver of the year goes to Oliver Rowland, and for very good reason.

Having quit Mahindra Racing midway through Season 9, Rowland’s Formula E career looked to be done, but his old employers Nissan took a chance on bringing him back.

And what a repayment Rowland made in their faith. After missing-out on points in round one and Race 1 in Diriyah, Race 2 would see his first podium finish since 2022, the first of a four-race podium streak, culminating in the inheritance of da Costa’s disqualified Misano success. A double victory would have been achieved had the second race been a lap shorter, having lost energy with just a matter of corners to go.

Two third place finishes in Berlin would follow, as well as more points in Shanghai. Although mathematically capable of winning the title at the final weekend, missing Portland due to illness was what would put paid to his chances, and one wonders what might have been had he been able to drive?

However, it did not put the dampener on London, with Rowland taking his second win of the season and perhaps his greatest. From ninth on the grid, Rowland navigated is way through all the chaos and drama of the title fight to take the victory in Race 2.

If da Costa’s redemption arc was the saviour of his drive, then Rowland’s was the saviour of his career. After hiring a sports psychologist before the season commenced, Rowland has never looked stronger behind the wheel of an FE car, and if Nissan can provide him with one that is consistently quick enough, his Season 11 title credentials are very high indeed.

Honourable mentions

One driver that impressed throughout the season was Maximilian Günther. The German took victory in Tokyo and had a string of superb drives, which appears to have earned him a yet-to-be-confirmed move to DS Penske.

It would be churlish to not mention Taylor Barnard either. Still 19 at the time, Barnard was given just 20 minutes to prepare for FP2 in Monaco, with Sam Bird having injured his hand in FP1. Barnard would finish the race in 14^th place, and whilst deputising for Bird again in Berlin, the F2 regular would finish in the points in both races. With Jake Hughes leaving for Maserati MSG Racing, Barnard is the favourite to take a full-time drive next season.

Outgoing champion Jake Dennis would be right to lay some blame on the failure of his title defence on his Andretti’s inability to get hooked-up in qualifying, but it did not deter him from putting together some fantastic drives, with four podiums, including a stunning 14-second victory in Diriyah, the second-highest win margin for a driver in Formula E history.

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Antonio Felix da Costa has taken to social media to publicly apologise to Nick Cassidy for the collision that altered the course of this year’s FIA Formula E World Championship.

The Portuguese driver tangled with Cassidy’s Jaguar in the final race of season to take the Kiwi out of contention, having come into the weekend 12 points clear at the top of the Drivers’ championship.

The incident allowed da Costa’s team-mate Pascal Wehrlein to come through to win the title for the first time, but resulted in a five second time penalty for da Costa, dropping him out of the order and ultimately handing the new Manufacturers’ crown to Jaguar, with Porsche having claimed the trophy after the initial result.

Writing on his X account, da Costa, after reflecting on his own personal season, said:

“Lastly, to put this to bed, I have spoken with Nick, and by putting my self in his shoes I can not even start to imagine the pain he is feeling. I’ve apologized to him, his family and his team.”

“The way he behaved, and the way he drove last Sunday, is not short from what the best drivers in the world are doing. We’ve always raced clean and I hope we can keep doing it for a few more years.

Over the weekend, da Costa told Motorsport Week that he was happy his early-season issues with Porsche had been resolved

“Honestly, I’m so happy I was able to turn things around and put myself back into a position of strength in all areas on the driving and the results side, as well as the contractual situation,” he said.

“Results are king in this sport, and I’m happy to be on that side of things.”

The post Da Costa apologises to Cassidy for title-changing London incident appeared first on Motorsport Week.

The FIA Formula E World Championship will be decided in London after Antonio Felix da Costa won the second race of the Portland E-Prix weekend, making it a clean-sweep in the USA, and making it three wins from three races.

With Pascal Wehrlein suffering a front wing loss early in the race and not able to fight for the win, his Tag Heuer Porsche team-mate was able to fight for victory, and held-off a stern challenge from Envision’s Robin Frijns, who made it two podiums in two.

In a race that saw many drivers suffering damage due to contact amid the closeness of the racing, Mitch Evans largely stayed out of the danger to finish third, with Wehrlein still able to finish fourth and take some crucial championship points off Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy, who lost out in the middle of the race due to pitting for damage and scored no points, but Evans is now firmly in the mix too, his podium leaving him tied on points with Wehrlein.

Pole man Jean-Eric Vergne could not maintain a challenge, finishing fifth, with Nico Müller sixth, Norman Nato, seventh, Max Günther eighth, Sébastien Buemi ninth and Jake Dennis tenth.

Cassidy’s nightmare weekend, Evans’ third place, and Wehrlein able to complete a modest damage limitation job, the both Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships will be decided in the final weekend of the season in London in three weeks’ time.

HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED

At the start, da Costa took the lead from Vergne at T1, with Cassidy losing position to Wehrlein. Frijns, who moved-up to third, was quickly under extreme pressure from Bird, who took the position back, but team-mate Hughes sailed up into the lead at T1 at the start of lap two, with de Vries second, and Vergne down in fifth, with da Costa sixth.

Cassidy, seemingly content to play a waiting game, dropped to 18th by the start of lap three, with Hughes and de Vries taking their first Attack Mode, along with da Costa, handing Vergne back his lead.

With Bird dropping down the order, team-mate Hughes regained the lead with Vergne dropping to third after his first Attack Mode. Hughes took his second on lap five, with Mortara working up to fourth with de Vries now seventh.

Wehrlein, who had been as high as fourth, suffered a further blow to his ailing title chances, losing his front wing on lap six, causing the Porsche to tumble down the order. It would be a similar story for Bird, whose front wing was also lost, sending him off track and to the back of the field, with replays showing Wehrlein’s dislodged wing flying straight into Bird’s, leaving the English to bemoan why Wehrlein failed to pit for a replacement. Wehrlein’s front wing freed itself from under his car, but was now only two places ahead of Cassidy, who was still electing to stay out of contention in the early stages.

Race leader Hughes lost the lead at T1 on lap eight, outbraking himself and slipping down to third, with Buemi now leading, but the Swiss veteran was swiftly handed a drive through penalty for a technical infraction. Vergne took the lead back on lap nine, with Müller driving superbly in second, with Fenestraz also firmly in the mix in fourth.

Wehrlein worked his way back through the pack, moving to seventh at the start of lap 11 despite the front of his car missing. Müller was now leading, with Frijns quickly taking him, the Dutchman swiftly taking his second Attack Mode.

On lap 13, Hughes, who lost a portion of his own front wing, spun off track,

In what was now looking to become a race of attrition, Dennis, Collet, de Vries, Hughes and Cassidy all got caught in a string of incidents, sending all five into the pits for repairs.

This left Wehrlein now in third, with Frijns and da Costa leading the way, with Vergne, Mortara and the two ABT Cupras of Müller and di Grassi keeping well in touch with them, but Mortara’s race was virtually done by the end of lap 15, tagging da Costa and receiving a puncture for his troubles.

Vergne was now back in the lead, with da Costa second, who became the latest driver to miss a piece of front wing due to the brush with Mortara. In the midfield, Nato and Günther, both starting at the foot of the grid, were noe eighth and tenth respectively, with Evans, largely out of trouble at the midway point, now up to fifth.

The carnage and debris on track left Race Director Scott Elkins with no choice but to deploy the Safety Car, giving Cassidy a chance to potentially recover his compromised race.

The Safety Car came in at the end of lap 20, with da Costa immediately taking the lead from Frijns, with Wehrlein third. Evans took his second Attack Mode, dropping from fifth to eighth but immediately took seventh of Nato and began pursuit of the ABT pair.

With one lap now added, da Costa dropped to third before moving back to first, with Evans now up to fourth and battling Wehrlein for third, which he took at the start of lap 23, the Kiwi now in serious contention, taking Frijns for second at T1 on lap 24. Cassidy, despite an energy advantage over everyone, was unable to free himself from 15th place.

At the start of the penultimate lap, Frijns took second back off of Evans, with Wehrlein still fourth but dropping away from the top three, with da Costa still in the leading, getting the go-ahead from the Porsche pit wall that he could go for the win.

At the start of the final lap, da Costa narrowly led from Frijns, the Envision pushing and probing the Porsche, the two now the only ones left to contend for the win. Vergne was swarming all over Wehrlein, aware that every point will count in his championship battle. Frijns continued to harry da Costa, but the Portuguese can seemingly do no wrong, taking his third Formula E win in succession. Evans took third, with Wehrlein just holding onto fourth, perhaps some vital points with Cassidy scoring none.

On the cool-down lap, a quiet da Costa told his team he did what he could to help Wehrlein, but leaves Portland showing Porsche team boss Florian Modlinger that he may be the best driver available to him after all.

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Antonio Felix da Costa took victory in the Portland E-Prix, his third win in four FIA Formula E races, capitalising on Nick Cassidy’s late spin from the lead, completing what turned-out to be a dismal race for Jaguar TCS Racing.

Cassidy, who made his customary late charge into the lead in the craziness of the expected peloton style race, slid off the circuit in the lead with just over one lap to go, with polesitter Mitch Evans, taking victory on the track, already the recipient of a five second penalty for an early-race collision with Jake Hughes’ NEOM McLaren, dropping him to eighth.

Robin Frijns, whose future with Envision Racing is under scrutiny, finished a brilliant second after a calm and controlled performance, with Jean-Eric Vergne third for DS Penske. Edoardo Mortara was third for Mahindra Racing, with Nico Müller a superb fifth for ABT Cupra.

Jake Dennis was sixth, with Sam Bird seventh. Stoffel Vandoorne took ninth in the second Penske, with Pascal Wehrlein only able to take one point for 10th place, a reprieve of sorts for Cassidy, who will feel incredulous that a huge opportunity to extend his championship lead slipped away in such dramatic fashion.

HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED

At the start, Evans got away well, closely followed by Hughes and da Costa, who jumped Frijns. Despite the cars making the most of the circuit’s space, with two abreast in the early corners, the start was clean and without incident. Onto the back straight, Hughes took the lead from Evans, with the Porsches of da Costa and Wehrlein running a close third and fourth respectively. On lap two, Frijns worked his way back to third, with da Costa dropping five places. Norman Nato quickly jumped team-mate Dennis and was up to third by the end of the lap.

At the start of lap three, Nato took the lead and pulled out a gap on Hughes, with Dennis now third. All three then took their first Attack Mode, the Frenchman keeping his lead and Hughes keeping his second place, with Frijns behind.

On lap four, Cassidy – down in 12th – took his first Attack Mode, with Nato, Hughes and Frijns taking their second a lap later, releasing da Costa into second, with Hughes sliding off onto the grass at T10, dropping down to 18th behind team-mate Sam Bird, the McLaren being on the marbles, off the racing line, in the midst of jostling for fourth with Dennis, but, as it turned-out, the slide was caused by being tapped from behind by Evans a matter of yards before, causing a puncture on his right rear.

On lap seven, Frijns took the lead with Nato second and Evans third, with the Dutchman taking Attack Mode, dropping down to fourth place, but quickly took third off Nato, with Dennis now ahead.

Hughes’ race was effectively over after pitting to replace his flattening tyre. On lap eight, Dennis took another Attack Mode and dropping to third, with da Costa now leading. Evans determinedly took Dennis for third, the pair wheel-to-wheel at the end of the lap, with the Kiwi eventually edging through and ahead.

Fenestraz, suffering the indignity of qualifying behind the under-prepared stand-in team-mate Caio Collet, worked his way up to seventh, with the ABTs of Müller and Lucas di Grassi looking bright in sixth and ninth places respectively.

Evans took his next Attack on lap 10, handing the lead back to Frijns, with da Costa second and Fenestraz now third. Nato was now down in 10th, one place behind Cassidy, who quickly worked his way up one spot, now right behind his title rival Wehrlein.

With peloton in full effect, da Costa, Müller and Cassidy all quickly traded the lead upon the start of lap 12, with Wehrlein taking Attack Mode, almost knocking into his team-mate as he rejoined the racing line. Ticktum was now back in the top six, and Bird now in ninth place, working his way up to fourth a matter of corners into lap 13.

Cassidy sat back and allowed the pack to swarm him again, handing team-mate Evans first, with Bird now second and Müller in third. The Swiss took the lead from Evans, handing it to Frijns by the end of lap 14, with da Costa now in second.

The high intensity of the race, as predicted, would leave a game of ‘who is now leading?’ to be played, with Mortara getting in on the act, finding himself in first place on lap 15.

Evans, for his part in the incident that caused Hughes’ puncture, received a five second time penalty, severely compromising his own race, however the replays would suggest that the penalty was somewhat harsh, with Evans protesting over the team radio that it was Hughes who in fact moved across on him, later calling the decision a “disgrace”. The sister Jaguar of Cassidy was back in the lead a lap later, the Andrettis of Dennis and Nato, showing promise early on, were now 15th and 19th. Max Günther, starting at the wrong end of the grid due to a penalty, was now in the top 10.

Vergne, quietly going about his business during the race, swept into first on lap 17, with Cassidy still keeping his powder dry in fifth, before taking the lead once again a lap later, with Wehrlein in 10th and needing to stay in-touch.

With a little over a quarter of the race left, the peloton dissipated slightly with Cassidy staying in the lead, with da Costa second and Evans third, now in a prime position to help his countryman and team-mate.

On lap 21, da Costa took Cassidy for the lead, with Wehrlein taking an Attack, briefly relegating him from the top 10. Cassidy quickly regained his authority, with Evans searching desperately for a way past the Portuguese’s Porsche. Despite Wehrlein’s attack, the German found himself unable to make many more places up, as well as being under investigation for an incident with Günther’s Maserati.

With four laps to go, Cassidy led with Evans finally taking da Costa for second place, leaving himself in the prime position to be the rear gunner for Cassidy, who started to create a gap.

But drama with ensue with only two laps to go. Cassidy, closely-followed by Evans, went off-line towards the end of the lap, went wide, sliding onto the grass, rejoining in 19th place, throwing his race away when it looked his championship stranglehold was tightening

Evans took the chequered flag on the road, but da Costa would take another win, with Frijns second and Vergne third. Cassidy could consider himself fortunate that his title lead was down by only one point, with Wehrlein unable to significantly capitalise on his mistake.

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Tag Heuer Porsche have seen their appeal against the decision to disqualify Antonio Felix da Costa from the Misano E-Prix rejected by the sport’s governing body.

The Portuguese driver stormed to victory in the first race of the double-header at the Italian circuit on April 13th, but six hours after the race, stewards disqualified his #13 Porsche from the final result after the discovery of an out-of-date throttle damper spring, contravening Article 27.10 of the Sporting Regulations and Article 3.3 of the Technical Regulations.

Porsche quickly made the decision to appeal, and after over two months of deliberation, the FIA have finally decided that the original decision will stand.

This causes a blow to Porsche’s chances of winning the Teams’ Championship, as well as effectively ending any possibility of da Costa making a late charge for the Drivers’ crown, having since won races in both Berlin and Shanghai respectively.

Porsche may now opt to deploy da Costa as a support for team-mate Pascal Wehrlein, who sits second in the standings, behind Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy.

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