The title race is going down to the wire: no driver was able to get their hands on the title at the penultimate double-header of the 2024 Formula E World Championship. Spectators in the busy grandstands at Portland International Raceway in the US state of Oregon witnessed two exciting races, with the lead changing hands on numerous occasions and plenty of strategy in play. With temperatures around 25 degrees on both days, the field soon brought the Hankook iON Race into the optimal working window, allowing them to exploit the high grip level of the premium tyre. After an impressive performance, it was Mitch Evans from the Jaguar TCS Racing team who crossed the finish line first on Saturday. However, the New Zealander was handed a time penalty for his part in a collision early on in the race, which saw him relegated to eighth place. That left António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) the beaming winner. “The tyres are very well suited to this track. We were able to push for several laps in a row, which was ideal. We did not experience any major wear in the race, so I was very happy with the performance of the tyre,” said the Portuguese, full of praise for the Hankook iON Race. He was followed home in second and third place by Dutchman Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) and Jean-Éric Vergne from France (DS Penske).
Also on Sunday, da Costa won and claimed his twelfth victory in the Formula E World Championship after 27 laps of the 3.190-kilometre circuit. The driver from the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team benefitted again from good energy and tyre management. “The Hankook iON Race provided enough grip, even at the end of the race, and helped the drivers go to work out on the track,” said Hankook race engineer Ji Woong Choi. Second place went to Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) ahead of Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing).
As title sponsor of the race weekend in Portland, two Hankook officials also took their place on the podium: on Saturday, Sooil Lee (Vice Chairman & CEO of Hankook Tire & Technology) presented the trophy to the second-placed driver. On Sunday, race winner da Costa received his trophy from Rob Williams (President of Hankook Tire America).
14 races into the season, Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) currently tops the table with 167 points, ahead of Evans and Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team), who both have 155 points. Final stop for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship 2024 is the Hankook London E-Prix in Great Britain on 20th and 21st July.
