RIYADH: Antonio Felix da Costa won the first-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in Cape Town to claim his first win for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team thanks to an audacious overtaking manoeuvre executed not once but twice to take the lead.
The Season 6 champion returned to form in the previous race in Hyderabad with a third-place finish. But on a new track that saw Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz claim Julius Baer Pole Position with the fastest lap in Formula E history at an average speed of 154.987kmh, Da Costa’s devastating drive delivered a well-earned victory.
The Porsche driver started in 11th but worked his way through the top 10 and into the top three by lap 20. With the pack squeezed by a full course yellow on lap 21, the top four were split by just 1.5 seconds.
Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy had outdone Fenestraz and Maximilian Gunther (Maserati MSG Racing) through the first round of attack mode activations, going longer before opting for his initial 50-kilowatt boost and easing into the lead.