Autosport Top 50 of 2024: #50 Antonio Felix da Costa

Throughout 5 Method E races within the second half of the 2024 season, Antonio Felix da Costa took 4 wins spanning Berlin, Shanghai and Portland – the place he doubled up.

Even after shedding an earlier victory at Misano, on account of an unlawful throttle pedal spring that supplied no tangible benefit, the Portuguese ended the marketing campaign with probably the most wins of any driver.

These performances signified a outstanding turnaround in type, after a poor begin to the season that denied him a real title shot, additionally put his place with Porsche below risk, and will have ended the 2019-20 champion’s tenure in Method E. 

Rating da Costa’s wins

5. Misano 1 

Da Costa’s ‘win’ in Italy needed to come backside on this checklist. Though he took the victory on-the-road, he was ultimately disqualified for a technical infringement. 

However, his efficiency arguably saved his seat on the grid, having faced severe scrutiny from within Porsche after failing to attain within the opening three races. Abt driver Nico Muller had been handed a check with the German producer, fuelling hypothesis da Costa would get replaced mid-season. 

After beginning down in thirteenth, da Costa saved out of bother not like the main title protagonists and made the decisive transfer for the lead with three laps remaining on Oliver Rowland (Nissan) earlier than the officers intervened. 
 
4. Portland 1

Solely three of the 27 laps in the course of the opening race in America had been led by da Costa, and none of these had been the ultimate lap. He trailed dwelling behind Mitch Evans, after Jaguar had seemed set to dominate proceedings. 

With two laps remaining it held a 1-2, chief Nick Cassidy on the cusp of the title, however a spin approaching the ultimate lap opened the door for Evans. Nevertheless the Kiwi was demoted to eighth on account of a five-second time penalty, handing da Costa victory after maintaining fixed strain within the closing levels. 
 
3. Shanghai 2 

“I used to be making an attempt to secretly inform them what the gameplan was and I believe they understood,” mentioned da Costa, having taken victory in China after working with Norman Nato from Porsche buyer group Andretti within the early levels.

With temperatures proving a vital ingredient of the race and overtaking at a premium round a truncated model of the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit additionally utilized by Method 1, da Costa ensured he remained in direction of the entrance all through. He led 14 of the 28 laps and was by no means headed from lap 16 onwards, after passing Nato into Flip 1. 

2. Portland 2 

Da Costa dominated Method E’s go to to Portland, clinching a clean-sweep within the USA

Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photographs

The ultimate win of his rollercoaster marketing campaign, da Costa’s race management was on top form round a Portland monitor the place overtaking was simpler than most different circuits on the calendar. 

After producing his greatest qualifying effort of the season with second, da Costa remained in direction of the entrance all through however solely led one lap previous to the top part. On a security automotive restart, he made the leap on chief Robin Frijns (Envision) into Flip 1 and was by no means headed afterwards, regardless of the fixed threats from behind. 
 
1.Berlin 2 

His first official win of the season, da Costa went up in opposition to and beat both Jaguar drivers in a fair fight on a day when the Huge Cat package deal was arguably the quickest mixture in Berlin. Having began down in tenth, da Costa hit the entrance as early as lap seven and remarkably led 23 of the 41 laps. 

As Cassidy, Evans and Rowland battled behind, da Costa managed his power to perfection to carry off a charging Cassidy and start his season turnaround. 

Da Costa re-enters the Autosport Prime 50 after turning his season round

Picture by: Andreas Beil