Antonio Felix da Costa was proud to regain Porsche's trust by securing the team's home race win, following an impressive performance in the second race of the Berlin E-Prix doubleheader.
Da Costa started the race in tenth place but quickly worked his way to the front, leading large parts of the race. When the Season 6 champion wasn't in the lead, he was conserving his energy to perfection.
It allowed him to pull the pin in the final few laps, securing his first win of 2024. The victory comes at a time when his future at Porsche is being speculated, following a test conducted by Abt Cupra's Nico Müller.
However, Da Costa was thrilled after the victory on German soil and regaining recent support for the Stuttgart-based side.
“Yes, it's great,” Da Costa said. “To race for a German team and win on German soil is amazing. We have a lot of important people here this weekend.
“There's a lot of staff here and a lot of guests and board members. So it's nice to be able to give this back to them.”
“But yes, Berlin was a good place for me in the past, and it was also tough sometimes. But yes, there are good memories here.”
“Awareness” is crucial
Da Costa's management during the race was impressive, with the Porsche driver avoiding the vast majority of collisions. By keeping his car clean, he was in perfect position for the final push.
The peloton's style was tried again in the second race in Berlin, causing a plethora of excitement in the opening laps.
Interestingly, da Costa views the final laps as the most relaxed of the race, given how much pressure he is under when the peloton is in full swing during the first two-thirds of the event.
“The closing stages were somewhat calmer, but the first 25-30 laps were difficult,” added da Costa. “I think awareness is the key word here, which is trying to keep your car clean.
“Try to put it in the right place at the right time. Yesterday, we made a bit of a mistake, today I was able to be a little smarter in my decisions and be in front when time is important. Also, we do that. I have an efficient car and I am able to build energy well.” .
“There's obviously a lot of work that goes into this, a lot of preparation, a lot of simulations, a lot of scenarios in your head and it obviously excites a lot of good drivers and teams.
“And on top of that, you're walking six meters and trying to save energy. It's just chaos. It's fun. It's fun. It's very stressful.”
