Driver António Félix da Costa secures a spot on the podium during the Formula E race held in China.
Felix da Costa battled through the rain to secure a third-place finish in the recent Shanghai E-Prix, marking his fourth podium of the season. Despite the strong result, the Portuguese driver was left feeling less than fully satisfied as he eyes further victories and a top spot in the drivers' championship.
Starting from second on the grid, da Costa trailed winner Nick Cassidy (Jaguar) and Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) by 19.444 and 7.126 seconds, respectively, at the checkered flag. Wehrlein, da Costa's Porsche teammate, was a close second behind the New Zealander.
Eyes on the Championship
"Today was better, but I'm not entirely satisfied because we didn't have a strong pace," Da Costa conceded after the race. "When I realized that we were lacking speed in the race, I focused on managing the third place and bringing the car to the end without mistakes to secure the 15 points."
The Chinese circuit saw heavy rain throughout the race, which proved challenging for all drivers. Despite this, da Costa led his team, Porsche, to secure a strong championship operation and take the lead in the teams' championship. "Porsche's goal is the teams' championship, and I, personally, want to still win races this year and secure at least the second place in the drivers' championship," Da Costa emphasized.
Competitive season so far
The Shanghai E-Prix marked a strong comeback for Da Costa after a tough start to the season, with a disqualification in the opening race of the season in Diriyah (Saudi Arabia) and a 13th-place finish in the first race of the Shanghai event. However, he bounced back strongly to secure third place in the second race of the weekend, maintaining his competitive edge and providing essential points for Porsche's push for the teams' championship.
With seven races still to be run, Da Costa trails the lead in the drivers' championship, held by Oliver Rowland (Nissan), by a significant margin of 83 points. Despite this, he remains focused on further victories and securing a top position in the championship, with the next race set to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 21.
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"Felix da Costa admitted, 'Though today was an improvement, I'm not entirely satisfied because we didn't have a strong pace in sports, especially hockey-like driving.'"
"His focus now shifts to future races, as he aims for more wins in the drivers' championship, stating, 'Porsche's objective is the teams' championship, but I, personally, still want to win races this year and secure at least the second place in the drivers' championship; I'm not content with anything less.'"
