Da Costa was the dominant pressure within the weekend’s second race on the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit, main nearly all of proceedings to say his third on-the-road win this season.
With expertise of the day past to depend on, and with Sunday’s race one lap shorter, the tempo was noticeably larger in the course of the 28-lap contest, as drivers and groups additionally battled with larger temperatures.
Da Costa was one of many final of the main runners to take his closing Assault Mode activation, which meant he by no means dropped exterior the main positions having began third.
The Portuguese driver made the decisive transfer for the win as early as lap 16, sweeping to the within of Andretti’s Norman Nato into Flip 1 to maneuver to the top of the sector the place he remained till the chequered flag.
Behind, poelsitter Jake Hughes claimed his maiden Components E podium having moved up into second with an aggressive transfer on Nato by the sweeping left and proper of Turns 7/8.
Over the ultimate 10 laps the Briton remained da Costa’s closest challenger however he was by no means in a position to mount a severe problem regardless of by no means being quite a lot of tenths again.
The main pair have been away from Nato, who claimed his first podium for Andretti having led in the course of the early proceedings of the race after initially charging up from seventh.
Norman Nato, Andretti International
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Cassidy completed fourth with a broken entrance wing that threatened to detach at any second and lodge itself beneath his Jaguar, after making contact with Hughes at Flip 1.
The Kiwi and his entrance wing survived, although, and he was in a position to lengthen his championship lead after a dismal occasion for title rival Wehrlein, who completed exterior the factors having pitted to interchange a punctured tyre following contact with Sam Chook.
The Porsche driver did not characteristic within the main group previous to his pitstop on lap 11 after beginning down in thirteenth, and though categorized twentieth he now sits 25 factors, or a race win, behind Cassidy.
Additionally becoming a member of Wehrlein exterior the factors was fellow title protagonist and reigning champion Jake Dennis, who just like the German by no means featured inside the highest 10 as he claimed eleventh after beginning 14th.
Mitch Evans, victor in Saturday’s Shanghai race, completed fifth forward of the 2 DS Penskes of Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne.
Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Guenther returned to the factors for the primary time in 5 races in eighth, with Robin Frijns ninth for Envision after beginning twentieth.
Nissan’s Oliver Rowland misplaced additional floor within the title race as he may solely muster one level in tenth.