António Félix da Costa Wins the Berlin ePrix For Third Time

In the world of sustainable racing António Félix da Costa secured a historic third win at Tempelhof in Berlin to earn the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team its first victory on home turf. Da Costa secured the lead early in the race and held out until the end; fending off an eager Mitch Evans behind who was poised to pounce. Evans however ended up making a mistake on lap 31 of the race where he lost out on track position to da Costa allowing for da Costa to pull away and ultimately he would never be caught. Evans ran wide in the encounter and lost out on a podium position finish.

António Félix da Costa Comments on the Win

After the race António Félix da Costa said, “It just feels great to win at a home race for Porsche, it’s amazing. We’ve got so many guests here: so many people who work in the factory that don’t normally get to come to the races, our Board members are here, so it’s definitely a special one.

Honestly, it’s been a tough start to the season and we’ve been building a really good momentum, always closing the gap to the championship leaders and it feels good to take this one. You have to work hard when things aren’t right, but when you have the right people around you it makes it a little bit easier. I want to dedicate to this to my engineer’s father-in-law who passed away this week, so it’s for him and his family.”

Nick Cassidy Inherits P2

After Mitch Evans had his off, teammate Nick Cassidy inherited the position and finished P2. He had the following words. “Ultimately, it’s been a great weekend for us. I feel sorry for Mitch [Evans], he lost out a bit, but I feel like we both could’ve maybe had a bit of a better race. We try to work together – that sometimes works, it sometimes doesn’t, but we gave it our best. It was an eventful race but ultimately it’s been a fantastic weekend. I’m proud of my guys and girls. We turned things around a bit overnight and had a really fast package today – it has been a really good day. António drove fantastically today and when he picked up the pace at the end, I thought he was quicker than us as well, so a really deserved win and I’m so happy for him.

For the title fight, we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing. The team’s done an amazing job, I’m really enjoying it and I’m really proud to be driving for Jaguar TCS Racing.”

Full Berlin ePrix Results are Below

Mitch Evans secured his first win of the 2024 Formula E season in Monaco this weekend for Jaguar TCS Racing. Evans has had a mix of results this season with his best up until the win being P2 in Brazil. Even better for the Jaguar TCS Racing team Evan’s teammate finished second to help the team secure a 1-2 finish and take home maximum points. Teammate Nick Cassidy finished just under a second behind. Evans moves to P5 in the drivers championship after the win.

Words from the Drivers

Evans said, “Today has been amazing. A one-two for Jaguar is incredible but to do it in Monaco makes it even more special. I’ve led the race here in Monaco many times and have achieved podiums on the streets of Monte Carlo but to have my first win of Monaco and of the season has come at such a good time for me. I need to keep scoring big points consistently and I hope that I can keep this momentum heading into Berlin.

Most importantly, this win is for Sir Colin Giltrap and his family. Colin has supported my career for over 20 years and I wouldn’t be racing and following my dreams without him.”

Nick Cassidy also commented on the race. “Mitch was a deserving winner of the Monaco E-Prix,” he said. I was lucky enough to be in this position with him the other way around last year, so I am so happy for him and for everyone here at Jaguar TCS Racing this year. We had the performance today on my side of the garage, we struggled slightly more in practice and qualifying but we were there when it counted, so great team result overall. We can all be really proud of our efforts today.

Stoffel Vandoorne Back on the Podium

It’s been a long time coming since Stoffel Vandoorne stood atop the podium. The former champion finished P3 and received his first piece of hardware since his championship run in the 2021-2022 season with Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team. Behind was DS PENSKE teammate Jean-Eric Vergne which marked the first time the team had two drivers in the top five since season 2 of Formula E.

Vandoorne said, “For me, securing my first podium of the season and finishing P3 at the Monaco E-Prix is a significant milestone in the season. It’s been a journey filled with challenges and hard work, but standing on that podium makes it all worthwhile. I’m grateful for the support of my team and thrilled to have delivered such a strong performance on one of motorsport’s most iconic circuits. This podium is just the beginning, and I’m more motivated than ever to continue pushing for success in the races to come.” 

The next stop for Formula E is in Berlin for this season’s second double header starting May 11th 2024.

Full Monaco ePrix Race Results

Leg 2 of the Misano ePrix yielded a different winner than race 1. Originally in race 1 Antonio Felix da Costa won but was disqualified for breaching the technical regulations regarding a throttle spring. The decision was a confusing one considering the teams were never notified that the spring was removed from the allowable parts listing. Da Costa has until Wednesday to appeal the decision. For now Oliver Rowland inherits the win.

In race 2 Pascal Wherlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) secured the win after falling short in race 1 to bring himself back into the discussion for the title race. Wherlein said, “Yesterday would have been better to win but I’m very happy about the race today. It was quite chaotic again in the beginning until mid-race. I wasn’t sure if I should stay in the lead or let Oli [Rowland] through the pace. His pace seemed a bit weird and too fast to try and defend so I didn’t defend him much. I was a bit surprised by his energy, I wasn’t sure if the team had the correct information or not. But in the end, it proved to be the right thing to do. It was a lot of managing; the energy, the battery, the tires. Just everything.

It goes quickly from zero to hero, we know that in Formula E. I think we had the pace this weekend to win both races. Unfortunately yesterday with these kinds of races I was a bit of a victim with my front wing and then being at the back, but today was a big redemption for us.”

The next race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is Round 8 of the 2024 Monaco E-Prix on Saturday 27th April.

Antonio Felix da Costa was disqualified from leg 1 at Misano after initially winning the race. The FIA hand down the decision hours after the race conclusions. The decisions stated,

The full decision by the FIA is as follows:

“The Team Manager and the representative of the manufacturer explained that since the beginning of Season 9, they have not changed the Throttle Damper Spring.

“The Team Manager accepted that the sealed part, as shown in the attachment of the Technical Report 13 was mounted in Car 13 and was sealed in the presence of the Chief Mechanic of the team. The Team Manager stated also that on the Spark list (pedals) the sealed part is not listed.

“He explained that normally, changes of the Spark catalogue are highlighted so everybody can see the changes, but not removals.

“The FIA Technical Delegate confirmed this procedure. The representatives of Spark confirmed that this part was listed on the part list of the GEN2 cars, but not on the current GEN3 car. They also confirmed that the removal of parts from that catalogue are not highlighted nor canceled.

“The competitor is responsible for the conformity of the car and even if there is no performance advantage the car has to comply with the Regulations (Article 1.3.3 of the International Sporting Code).

“Due to this result the car has to be disqualified from the race and the next cars move up in the classification.”

Porsche have declared their intention to appeal. The appeal must be processed within 96 Hours.

António Félix da Costa secured the win in race one of Misano e-Prix weekend making him the 6 race winner of the year. The win was a major feat considering da Costa started the race from P13. da Costa made a series of passes early in the race to make up ground lost in qualifying quickly. “There’s ups and downs in life and nobody’s perfect,” he said. “And we’ve got to be a team when times are bad. So, I think today will be good for that. You know, I’m here for the long haul. And hopefully this is the first of the season and the first of many.”

Da Costa Continued on About Winning in Misano

“That was crazy. But I had a lot of fun. It’s more about being smart, being aware where everybody is at all times, we were four or five side by side, people coming from every direction. I got hit a few times, but luckily nothing too big for my car. I was really struggling to turn to the right. But we held on, I think the strategy in terms of energy was perfect. We went at the right time. That was a proper dark attack.”

Jake Dennis also showed his prowess after securing a P3 finish after starting P17. He said, “We’ve always had a really efficient powertrain: P1 and P3 for Porsche is a special day for us. From my side, I was confident going into the race, even though it’s been a real struggle for me this weekend. The boys gave me a good car, and with good strategy and awareness, Oliver and I could work together, both making the podium. Overall, very happy to score big on a day like today when you’re not feeling good in the car. I didn’t plan to play it that way, but as the race got faster, I had to adapt and use attack mode, especially with a couple of issues in the last two laps, consolidating my position.”

The battle for dominance continues as there doesn’t appear to be one driver who is leading the field consistently. With that said, despite not winning a race thus far in 2024. Thomas Rowland currently sits atop the Formula E standings for Nissan Formula E team after finishing P2 in the first leg of Misano. With the championship race tightening leg two of the Misano has the potential to shake up the top of the table.

Race 1 Results from the Misano E-Prix

Maximilian Guenther wins in front of a packed and spirited crowd in Japan. Guenther’s victory for Maserati MSG Racing was his first of the season and fifth in his career. While the win didn’t skyrocket him to the top of the table; it solidified his place in the battle for early season dominance. Thus far five different drivers have won a race in the Formula E Championship.

“An incredible weekend. We were in the top three in every session and almost got pole position, but securing the win feels so special – everybody did an amazing job, said Gunether. “I felt great in the car, and we’ve taken some good steps as a team in the last few weeks. Since São Paulo, I think we’ve shown that we have really strong pace and today, we converted it into a win. There was a lot of energy management in the race, but we covered ourselves well, perfectly executed the strategy, and the moves, and did everything we had to do. It’s amazing to win Formula E’s first-ever race in Tokyo, and I’m proud. We need to enjoy this moment.”

Maserati MSG Racing Chief Engineer Cyril Blais Comments on Successful Race

“Today’s race was incredible, and the result is the realization of months and months of hard work for us as a team. We executed a very well-planned strategy, and we decided to be aggressive – instead of settling for the podium, we chose to push for the win, and I’m very proud of Max and the team for doing such a good job. Jehan was unlucky today and was taken out early in the race through no fault of his own. He’s on a steep learning curve, but we’re continuing to see good progress for him, and hopefully we can target the top 10 with him at Misano.

After five races on four very different tracks, we’ve shown great promise and potential so far this season. With our package, we know that we can be competitive almost every weekend, and that gives us all great motivation. I’m confident that we can achieve great things this year.”

The win puts Guenther in fifth place in the championship 15 points behind championship leader Pascal Wherlein.

Formula E Continues to Grow

Formula E has seen an incredible level of growth in viewership this year. In the first four rounds Formula E has started a snowball effect that has helped their fan base grow by 37%. Formula E also reports a Cumulative TV Audience Surge as this season has seen a remarkable 40% increase in cumulative TV viewership in its first four races, jumping from 62 million in 2023 to 86 million. Live TV viewing audiences have also grown with 61 million tuning in live cumulatively compared to 45 million in the previous season. The Formula E championship is tapping into new markets which will help spread awareness on the future of electric car racing. As sustainable racing gain popularity around the world Formula E has the opportunity to make a wide scale impact on climate changes and keep racing fans happy. We will clsoely follow any developments on this front.

In the closing stages of the São Paulo ePrix it looked as though Mitch Evans was headed for his first win in Formula E. However, Sam Bird had other plans for how his weekend in Brazil would end. On lap 28/31 Bird made a lunge up the inside on Evans that Evans could not defend. “It’s a hard one to accept,” Evans reflected after the checkered flag. “I feel like we did all the right steps but unfortunately the last lap I had a battery derate through temperature. I had not much top speed and it was getting worse throughout the lap. So, I knew it was gonna be tight.”

Bird on the other hand was thrilled that the move paid off and he was able to build up a half second cushion before the end of the race. “What an outstanding result for myself and for NEOM McLaren to get our first victory together,” he said. “It’s particularly special doing it here in Brazil, home of Ayrton Senna and supported by Emerson Fittipaldi on the podium. This is a great reward for everyone who has worked so tirelessly with the team since the very beginning – I joined for NEOM McLaren’s second year and I’ve seen so much progress already.

I couldn’t be prouder of every single person in the team. A big thank you to Nissan as well, our powertrain suppliers, for continuing to improve and providing us with the powertrain capable of doing what we did today. I’m looking forward to continuing to celebrate, and we’ll focus on Tokyo in a few weeks’ time.”

Nick Cassidy DNF but Retains Championship Lead

Despite not finishing the race Nick Cassidy, Bird’s former teammate still retains the lead in the drivers championship with 57 points. Cassidy was building up for a successful weekend but fell short in the ePrix. After coming off of 4 straight podiums a DNF was not in the expected outcomes for a weekend where Jaguar thought Cassidy had the fastest car on grid.

He said, “I had a really fast car in FP1, FP2 and the first run of qualifying today, but the race didn’t go quite how I wanted or expected it to. I had a couple of touches with the front wing and unfortunately it was too badly damaged. I still think I was one of the fastest cars this weekend, plus, I have come off the back of four podiums in a row and I’m still leading the Drivers’ Championship standings so there’s a lot of positives to take forward to Tokyo.”

Formula E Racing Picks up in two weeks time with the next round taking place in 10 days time.

After a dominant performance from Pascal Wherlein in Round 1 of the Formula E season in Mexico. Many questions were raised as to what went wrong for the 2023 Formula E champion Jake Dennis. However in Round 2, the first of the Diriyah Double Header Dennis silences all concern as he bounced back to take his first win of the season. Dennis spoke with the media after the race.

Jake Dennies, No. 1, Andretti Formula E Team,

“I can only honestly thank these guys out here so much, you know, we’ve had a difficult start to the season, but we turned it around and came back. I got my biggest win in Formula E tonight. The last eight, nine laps I could really give everything and create that 13 second lead. These days don’t come around very often. I got to show these guys tonight and we’ll try and do it again tomorrow.

There was a little bit of debate between me and the team about when we should take it [ATTACK MODE] but ultimately, we got it right. That was the main thing, it’s obviously so difficult to overtake here. We saw Mitch Evans trying to pull a do or die move, and thankfully that didn’t work out and allowed me to get away.

I have to say the enjoyment of racing here in Saudi under the lights and just enjoying every lap. It was so much fun. The track really started to grip up at the end and we could actually push the cars. It was a pretty phenomenal performance.”

Dennis started third on the grid but navigated tricky slick track conditions to out pace his rivals. He finish 13.289 seconds ahead of Jean-Éric Vergne (DS PENSKE). Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) finished third in round 2 but would bounce back in the double header on Day 2 in Diriyah.

Nick Cassidy Bounces Back in Diriyah

After his third place finish in race 1 of the weekend Cassidy was determined to return to his winning ways. Cassidy won the second leg of the Diriyah stop sending himan 18-point lead in the Drivers’ World Championship, with Jaguar TCS Racing securing the lead in the Teams’ standings. Cassidy said, “This is awesome I mean it’s such a dream. I’ve got an amazing car and I’m so privileged but this here… I mean – I want it that way. Every win is special, it’s just been a dream start. I’m waiting for a bad day, it’s gonna come but for now we ride, we ride. I took advantage at the start – I initially thought I went too hard at the start – but, you know, Jaguar TCS Racing gave me an amazing car and I’m super lucky.”

Thus far the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has seen 3 different winners in the first three rounds. The series moves to Sao Paulo, Brazil for Round 4 on 16th March, where the season will continue.

Pascal Wherlein arrives in Diriyah after a dominant showing in the season opener in Mexico City where he won the race. The Diriyah Street Circuit, located just outside of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, is a challenging circuit that will test battery management and overall pace. With the two races up for grabs and limited practice time the drivers will have to bring their ‘A’ game right from the start. There’s no time for mistakes in practice or qualifying on a double header weekend. Wherlein heads into the weekend with a head full of confidence and determination to repeat the result from the opening round.

Saudi Arabia has hosted Formula E’s night races since the Season 7 Diriyah E-Prix. The first track action of the year gets underway on Thursday 25 January with Free Practice 1 at 17:55 local time, 14:55 UTC. Then it’s on to race day on Friday 26 January as Free Practice 2 kicks off the day at 12:55 local, qualifying follows at 15:20 local with lights out on Round 2 at 20:00 local/17:00 UTC. Free Practice 3 follows on Saturday morning at 12:55 local with qualifying ahead of Round 3 set to get underway at 15:20. Round 3 itself then follows at 20:00 local/17:00 UTC on 27 January.

View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.

After securing pole position for the season opener Pascal Wherlein finished the job in the Mexico E-Prix. It was a calm day for the pole sitter as he maintained the lead for the entire race. Sébastien Buemi with Envision Racing finishing in second and Nick Cassidy, Jaguar TCS Racing’s new signing, in third. Wherlein and the other podium finishers commented after the race.

Pascal Wehrlein, No. 94, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, said:

“It was a tough race because we were leading most of the race and that’s not so efficient for energy – but every lap was like a qualifying lap, trying to maximize speed. I saw a small mistake behind me which created a small gap, and from then I think it was pretty controlled. Thanks a lot to my team and thanks to all the fans here, it’s always a great to be here in Mexico; it’s a great atmosphere. I’m already looking forward to coming back next year.”

Sébastien Buemi, No. 16, Envision Racing Formula E Team, said:

“I’ve had four podiums here now. They’re now calling me the veteran. It was a smooth race. Qualifying was the key point really. I know it’s quite difficult to pass here, but we’ve had a clean race. Pascal was fast, but I heard he was under investigation, so I decided to stick to P2, and if it becomes something more, then I’ll be happy with that.”

Nick Cassidy, No. 37, Jaguar TCS Racing, said:

“It’s the start of a really nice new chapter. I had high expectations with FP1 and FP2, it’s not been an easy weekend, but the team have been really awesome with me throughout. Hopefully this is the start of something cool and that’s just getting started; it was a great race. I think the grid can definitely challenge Pascal moving forward.”

Next up is the much-anticipated night race in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on 27 & 28 January for the season’s first double header.