The premiere of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in South Africa could hardly have been more exciting. The lead changed hands on numerous occasions as the race headed towards its breath-taking climax, drawing standing ovations from the packed grandstands. Portuguese driver António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) pulled off a spectacular overtaking manoeuvre on the penultimate lap of the street circuit in Cape Town to wrest the lead from Frenchman Jean-Éric Vergne (DS Penske) and secure his first victory since the Formula E race in New York in 2022. The Porsche driver benefitted from his genial energy management and the strong performance of the Hankook iON Race. The 31-year-old started from eleventh place on the grid and worked his way through the field. “We are constantly learning how to work with the tyre. Even in today’s race, we gained more new insights. Based on the experience gained so far, we started with a certain set-up, which allowed us to be really strong, particularly at the end of the race. The strategy worked perfectly. It is fun getting to understand a new tyre. We are doing precisely that, and the tyre is behaving really well. The tyre gave us the maximum grip level, despite the different surfaces,” said the race winner. Third place went to New Zealander Nick Cassidy from the Envision Racing team.
Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Director Motorsport: “Congratulations to António Félix da Costa. He fully deserves his success in South Africa after an excellent performance. He will go down in the history books as the first winner of this E-Prix. I am pleased that our Hankook iON Race mastered this high-speed race with great aplomb and, with its excellent performance, contributed to the successful premiere. Cape Town and, above all, this special layout have been a fantastic experience for all of us. The organisation was also extraordinarily good. We were particularly delighted by the great interest shown by the spectators and the friendliness of the people. I hope we will return next year and can once again put on a show of top-class motorsport for the fans.”
