PORTLAND: On an exciting weekend in Portland, Antonio Felix da Costa achieved a spectacular double victory for TAG Heuer Porsche and celebrated his third consecutive win at the Hankook Portland E-Prix in front of enthusiastic fans.
His triumph was marked by great drama on the track, which once again demonstrated the masterful race management of da Costa and TAG Heuer Porsche. With his third victory in a row, da Costa equalled his own record from 2019 for the longest winning streak in Formula E.
Round 14 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was a defining moment of the season, as current championship leader Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing failed to score points for the second race in a row. As a result, Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein are now neck and neck for second place, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown at the upcoming finale in London.
Joining da Costa on the podium was Robin Frijns, who celebrated his 100th Formula E race with back-to-back podium finishes for Envision Racing. Mitch Evans, representing Jaguar TCS Racing, finished third. The race was full of crucial moments, including Pascal Wehrlein’s dramatic loss of his front wing early in the race. Despite this setback, Wehrlein finished fourth, keeping his championship hopes alive.
NEOM McLaren and Mahindra Racing were less fortunate, both experiencing a series of retirements due to errors, tire punctures and collisions on the track.
Starting from pole, Jean-Eric Vergne secured a solid fifth place for DS PENSKE, while ABT CUPRA’s Nico Muller took an impressive sixth place.
Norman Nato finished seventh for Andretti, followed by Maximilian Günther for Maserati MSG Racing in eighth place. Sebastien Buemi finished ninth for Envision Racing despite a penalty, ahead of reigning world champion Jake Dennis, who completed the top ten for Andretti Formula E.
On the way to London, the battle for the top spot is more intense than ever and promises fans an exciting end to the season. The season finale of the Hankook London E-Prix will take place on July 20 and 21.
António Felix da Costa, No.13, Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E, said: “This is crazy. I’m happy, I’m emotional, I’m angry, I’m everything. I’m just happy that I can ride this wave now – I know it won’t last forever. I’ve been on it before, I’ve been off it before, so I’m just going to try and keep doing everything right. I’m going to enjoy this moment. A lot of people in this world live by the motto of never giving up, but I think we’re reaching a whole new level of that, to be honest!”
Robin Frijns, No. 4, Envision Racing, said: “Today was definitely a good way to come back. We had a tough race and I have to say the team did a mega job. We prepared well for this race and we delivered so I’m really happy with P2. Unfortunately we just missed the win – it was closer than yesterday but with a double podium I’ll take it. This season has been a tough fight, I wanted to come back, I knew I could do it and I knew the team could do it so here I am.”
Mitch Evans, No. 9 Jaguar TCS Racing, said: “After what happened yesterday, it’s nice. It’s hard to get over. I think it was a silly decision though. It was hard to get over, so it’s nice to come back and get something today. We didn’t optimise qualifying on my part and the grid position wasn’t optimal for race two, but it was a really hard-fought race. To get to the front, the way the race went meant I had to attack quite late again and I had to use a lot of energy to make those overtaking moves with the high goals. In the end I was an easy target, but it gave me a good track position and therefore good points. Of course I would have liked to have won, but after the safety car everything got really fast and third place was the best we could do.
“Of course it is regrettable what happened to Nyck [de Vries] but I just came here this weekend to do my thing and see what happens. We’ll be coming to London near Pascal. [Wehrlein] and it is getting tight between us. Antonio [Felix da Costa] must be close too, he won every race in the last half of the season – at least that’s how it feels. It will definitely be a tough fight between us and Porsche.”
Local stars to take part in the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix
Sung Kang, the renowned actor and car enthusiast best known for his role in the Fast and Furious franchise, returned to Portland International Raceway for Round 14 of the doubleheader weekend.
Kang was thrilled to reunite with driver Lucas di Grassi in the ABT garage and rekindle the camaraderie from the 2024 Tokyo E-Prix. Things got even more exciting when Kang also reconnected with his girlfriend and influencer Emilia Hartford, who brought her vibrant energy to Portland, just as she did in Tokyo at the start of the season.
Notable, meanwhile, was the presence of three-time W Series winner and Andretti Global INDY NXT driver Jamie Chadwick, who supported other Andretti Global drivers and served as a driver analyst for the broadcast team.
Chadwick delivered an electrifying performance, driving the GEN3 Formula E car for the first time and reaching speeds of over 150 km/h, and taking racing legend and Andretti Global team owner Michael Andretti for a fast lap in a Porsche Taycan.
In addition, Portland Thorns football players Morgan Weaver and Olivia Moultrie enjoyed meet-and-greets with drivers and tours of the Andretti garage. Earlier in the week, Portland Timbers football players James Pantemis and Evander da Silva Ferreira toured the paddock, sat in the GEN3 car and met drivers Sacha Fenestraz and Sergio Sette Camara from the Nissan Formula E Team and ERT Formula E Team, respectively.