Antonio Felix Da Costa is one of the most iconic and experienced faces of Formula E. How did the Portuguese garner his fame?
Antonio Felix Da Costa’s Career: Formula E Debut, Season 6’s Success, and Journey with Porsche
Antonio Felix Da Costa was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1991. He debuted in the single-seater world in 2008, participating in the Formula Renault 2.0 championship for two years and obtaining the title in 2009.
In 2010, Da Costa took part in F3 Euro Series, while racing in some GP3 Series rounds. He competed in his first full GP3 Series season in 2011, finishing thirteenth.
Da Costa took part in a second season of the GP3 Series, switching to Carlin and achieving third place in the general standings. He then joined the Red Bull Junior Team. In 2012, he also won the Macau Grand Prix, repeating the feat a few years later in 2o16.
In 2013, the Portuguese driver raced in Formula Renault, finishing third. During the same year, he obtained the role of F1 test driver for Red Bull. He worked in this position in 2014 as well.
From 2014 to 2016, Da Costa took part in the DTM championship, where he won one race in 2015. During that time, he also debuted in Formula E.
Da Costa’s Formula E Debut
Da Costa debuted in Formula E during the first season of the championship, the 2014-2015 season. He raced with the Team Aguri, which took part in the first two editions of the category.
Da Costa won his maiden race at the Buenos Aires E-Prix which was the fourth round of the season. The unexpected success in Argentina was the only podium of his season.
At the end of the year, Da Costa was eighth in the standings. He remained with Aguri for Season 2.
His second year in Formula E didn’t go as planned. Da Costa finished in the points zone only four times, retiring on four other occasions. At the end of the season, he switched to Andretti.
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The Turbulent Journey with Andretti
Da Costa’s first experience with Andretti went badly. Season 3 was the worst year for the Portuguese in Formula E. He collected only ten points, earned when he finished fifth during the first race of the season.
In his second season with Andretti, things worked out better. He reached the points-zone on four occasions, collecting twenty points. Da Costa ended the season in fifteenth position.
Da Costa re-signed with the American team for a third year. Season 5 saw him return to the success. He won the first race of the championship, the Diriyah E-Prix.
Da Costa stepped on the podium a further three times, obtaining a second place in Mexico and two bronze medals in Sanya and in New York.
The Portuguese driver finished sixth in the standings.
Da Costa Wins the Championship
After three years with Andretti, Da Costa moved to DS Techteetah. Season 6 proved to be the best year in Formula E for the driver. He collected six podiums during eleven races.
The season, which took place between 2019 and 2020, was mainly set in Berlin. The championship had to face the COVID-19 pandemic and organized the last six races on the German track – Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit.
Da Costa won the Marrakesh E-Prix and the first two races in Berlin. That same season, he finished out of the points only once and had one DNF. His consistency throughout the season brought him the win of the Formula E Drivers’ championship title.
He remained with DS Techteetah for Season 7 and Season 8, but things didn’t go as hoped.
During his second year with the team, Da Costa stepped on the podium only thrice, a Monaco E-Prix win included. He finished the season far from the top of the standings, concluding in eighth place.
In Season 8, Da Costa obtained two podiums: the first one in Marrakesh, where he finished second, and a win at the New York E-Prix. For the second time in a row, he ended up being eighth by the end of the season.
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The Porsche Experience
For Season 9, Da Costa switched to Porsche. His ninth year in Formula E wasn’t easy. He won the Cape Town E-Prix, coming third in Hyderabad and Portland.
The positive results were coupled with six race finishes out of the points and two DNFs. Da Costa concluded the season ninth in the general standings.
Season 10 began negatively for Da Costa. He struggled to find the constancy. His first win of the season – the first podium of 2024 – arrived after nine rounds.
Da Costa won the Berlin E-Prix. After this event, the Portuguese driver’s season improved significantly. He conquered the top spot in Shanghai and both of the Portland rounds.
He concluded the season in sixth place and re-signed his contract with Porsche.
Season 11 began a few weeks ago, with the Sao Paulo E-Prix opening the championship. Da Costa finished the race in second place, just behind Jaguar driver Mitch Evans.
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