António Félix da Costa recaps his 2024-2025 Formula E season so far and looks ahead to the rest of this year’s thrilling action.
A quarter of the 2024-2025 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is already over, in what feels like the blink of an eye.
It’s a blink that has seen some very strong results for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, as they place a close third in the teams’ standings and have both drivers in the top eight of the driver’s championship.
For António Félix da Costa, the first two rounds witnessed a super strong start to the campaign, continuing a brilliant run of results in the second half of the 2023-2024 season.
Da Costa took his first victory of last season in Berlin, at the team’s home race, before a run of three more consecutive wins in the second Shanghai race and the Portland double-header.
This run of results saw him finish sixth in the standings - his best finish with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, which he joined in 2022, and his best overall since he was crowned champion with the DS Techeetah team in 2019-2020.
He kicked off this year with a pair of second place finishes in São Paulo and Mexico City in his #13 Porsche 99X Electric (GEN3 Evo).
Da Costa took 19 points from the season opener in December, after finishing just three-tenths shy of race winner Mitch Evans, before he and team-mate Pascal Wehrlein had a superb double podium finish in Mexico City, with da Costa in second.
But as ever in motorsport the fortune can turn quickly, and in Jeddah the Portuguese ace was the victim of other drivers mistakes, when he received contact that ended one race and severely compromised the other.
“Stuff like that we can't control and in a professional championship like this how often do you actually get fully smashed from behind, not often thankfully,” says da Costa.
“To happen two days in a row it was a disappointment obviously to be involved in that sort of thing when it was all in the hands of others. You know, you work in the sim, you're looking at reports, you're trying to improve, you're trying to develop the software of the car yourself, the setup, the travel and then it all goes down the drain in lap one of both races.
“It's a real character building situation, which I thought they were behind me, but they will never be fully behind anyone in motorsport.”
The pace was always good that Jeddah weekend for da Costa, and it initially looked to be one of those weekends that would deliver a lot of positives.
But as da Costa rationalises “it's going to be a long year and we have a fast car, so I'm not too concerned.”
The big push that drivers are loving
This season has seen the advent of the GEN3 Evo package, and it is one that gives phenomenal gains in the All-Wheel-Drive aspect in certain points of the Formula E weekend.
During the qualifying duels, off the start line and in the all-important attack mode phases in the race, the drivers get a sizeable push from the worlds fastest accelerating racing car.
“It is a great addition to Formula E,” says da Costa enthusiastically.
“You do get used to it but you only get to run it like four or five times in a weekend. So, it's not like you do many laps with it.
“It's hard to optimise it, but that's the cool thing about it as well. You're driving a lot on your instincts, which is nice and the car becomes so fast.
“Not only we get the All-Wheel-Drive, but we can also use the full TC (traction control) capability of the software, which makes it super fun, hard to set up, but it makes it fun and it makes it fast.”
Stars and Stripes in DAC’s sights
Da Costa has a superb record of racing Formula E success in the US. He has gathered three wins - New York 2022 and the Portland double in 2024 - and three other podiums: New York 2019 and 2021 and Portland 2023.
He loves the country and is always engaged with its enthusiastic and passionate racing fans.
“I really enjoy racing in the US as it’s always fun and the people there are very knowledgeable about motorsports,” he says.
“100% Porsche has a big foot mark in the US, also racing with the Porsche 963 Hybrid, so it's important racing there for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.
“We've gone well over there before and Portland last year holds really great memories for me and the team.
“New tracks have always kind of seemed good for me and Porsche together (Portland, Misano, Cape Town). Most of my podiums were, were done on new tracks so I'm looking forward to it.
“I love Miami and know the city well. I've done a few laps in the sim of Homestead and the track looks fun. I think it's going to be potentially another big pack race and we've been good in those, so I'm feeling good for it already.”
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team returns to action in Miami on April 12 for Round 5 of 16.
