Da Costa secures second in Formula E São Paulo season opener

The Portuguese driver took 19 points from the first 2024-25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in Brazil after finishing just three-tenths shy of race winner Mitch Evans.

Lining up fifth in the #13 Porsche 99X Electric (GEN3 Evo), Da Costa was able to navigate a incident-filled event which saw two red-flag periods, the second of which was for the extraction from his car of team-mate Pascal Wehrlein.

The reigning champion’s race was ended after contact with the Jaguar TCS Racing car of Nick Cassidy following the first race restart.

Wehrlein was uninjured in the incident, which brought about the second of two lengthy red-flag periods, but was taken to hospital for some final checks.

The day had started well for both Porsche drivers, with Wehrlein repelling a strong charge from Nissan’s Formula E Team’s Oliver Rowland’s in the qualifying final, Rowland having knocked-out Da Costa in the quarter-final stage.

Da Costa sits second in the drivers’ standings after the first round, with the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team in third position in the teams’ championship.

Story of the race

Wehrlein made a good start off the line, but it was insufficient to retain the lead of the race as Rowland took the lead.

Both Porsches were more cautious than their rivals with their power deployment in the early stages, mindful of the planned 31 laps ahead.

The new Attack Mode was one of the biggest considerations for teams and drivers, and it was clear many teams were opting to try to gain an early advantage as the Porsche duo diced for position in the opening laps.

With 20 laps to go against the initial lap tally, both Wehrlein and Da Costa were back at the front and tussling for the lead.

Their battle was soon arrested however, as the red flags were out as a result of the red car status of Jake Dennis’s Andretti customer Porsche.

After a lengthy interlude, action was resumed with 10 laps remaining, and Da Costa led the field from Rowland and Wehrlein.

Behind the lead trio, a brace of Jaguars had plenty of power left in the tank, with the same to be said of the Neom McLaren Formula E Team duo. It was set for a fascinating final few laps.

Before the strategy could play out, however, there was further drama, with the incident between Cassidy and Wehrlein which brought out the second red flag.

After racing resumed, Mitch Evans took an unexpected victory from his last-on-the-grid start, with Da Costa keeping him honest to the end.

Customer racing

It was a tricky start to the season for Porsche customer team Andretti Global, with neither car reaching the chequered flag.

Nico Müller failed to finish after contact with another car, which triggered the first safety car, before Jake Dennis’s race was ended when his Porsche 99X Electric moved to red car status to trigger the first red flag.

Dennis was one to watch in qualifying, with epic pace in his quarter final against DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne.

The Brit missed out on moving to the qualifying final by the slimmest of margins - 0.001secs - against Rowland, but nevertheless would line-up in third on the grid with realistic prospects for a strong result.

Strongly in the mix with good energy in reserve, it was a cruel blow for Dennis to have to park his car with the team investigating the cause.

Müller dropped to 18th during the opening lap to save energy, but was tagged from behind before contact with Maserati’s Jake Hughes that would end the Swiss driver’s debut race with Andretti.

The season-opener also marked the debut E-Prix for Porsche customer team Cupra Kiro.

The American outfit is fielding two Porsche 99X Electric from the previous generation, GEN3, with Dan Ticktum and David Beckmann at the wheel.

Beckmann, most recently the reserve driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, was given a regular seat at Cupra Kiro, making him the sixth official Porsche driver in the field.

He finished 17th in Saturday’s race, while team mainstay Ticktum finished ninth but was promoted to eighth after a penalty for another driver.

An exciting season awaits

With a thrilling opening round complete, attention now turns to the remaining 15 races across nine locations.

Combining permanent and road circuits, the 2024-25 calendar will see the new GEN3 Evo car visit tracks from Monaco to Shanghai.

Returning with a bang after Christmas, Round 2 takes place in Mexico City at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on January 11.

From there, the championship heads to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for its first double-header on February 14 and 15.

Formula E heads Stateside in April, with Miami returning to the calendar for the first time since Season 1 in an all-new location - the Homestead-Miami Speedway - on April 12.

An action-packed May hosts the second double-header - this time on the streets of Monaco - before the championship travels to Asia, with the Tokyo and Shanghai rounds each featuring two races, before Round 12 in Jakarta.

As the championship heads into its exhilarating closing stages, it returns to Europe: First to Berlin, for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team’s home races, before the champion will be crowned in what will be another compelling season finale double-header in London.

Can Pascal Wehrlein retain his title, and could Porsche capture glory in the manufacturers’ championship? Follow all the action here on the Porsche Motorsport Hub.