Da Costa pips Hughes to win Shanghai E-Prix

Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa overcame Jake Hughes to secure his second race win in Formula E’s Season 10 at Shanghai E-Prix on Sunday.

Antonio Felix da Costa won his second race of the season at the Shanghai E-Prix thanks to a dominant drive that saw him edge Jake Hughes, a first-time podium finisher for McLaren, and Norman Nato of Andretti.

Throughout the 28-lap race, Da Costa remained a threat and did not give up the lead after taking it just after the halfway mark af the the race that was faster and less dramatic than the opening race.

Da Costa started third, held his position at the beginning of the race, and passed polesitter Hughes for second place at the end of the second lap. As most drivers cleared their attack mode usage early, he engaged in an early four-way battle for the lead with Hughes, Vandoorne, and Nato.

While Nato’s Porsche appeared to be in control of the race at that point, da Costa had skillfully controlled his energy levels to take the lead on lap 16. He managed to open up a narrow lead over the next three laps, which was sufficient to overcome Hughes, who passed Nato in the last ten laps to secure second place.

With championship contender Pascal Wehrlein finishing a pointless 20th at the end of the race, Da Costa’s second victory of the season—and third on the road, after being disqualified at Misano, a decision Porsche is still appealing—gave Porsche a bit of relief.

Wehrlein had started the race from 13th on the grid and found it challenging to move up the order before he found himself at the bottom of the points run. Sam Bird clipped him on the left rear tire, and Wehrlein had to pull into the pits at the conclusion of the lap over a puncture.

Wehrlein’s failure to score points meant that Nick Cassidy, who finished in fourth place, extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to 25 points. With three rounds left, Cassidy is now 25 points ahead of Wehrlein, despite never really being a threat for a podium.

While teammate Bird was the lone retiree from the race, Hughes was enjoying a fantastic first Formula E podium in his second season with McLaren with Nato securing his first top-three finish at Andretti in third.

Despite making minimal touch with Wehrlein, Bird later ran into Nyck de Vries’ Mahindra, interrupting the race shortly after and robbing De Vries – who started in fourth place – from any chance of earning a second points finish at the event.

Cassidy was trailed by Mitch Evans of Jaguar while teammate Jean-Eric Vergne – displeased with the way his fellow DS Penske driver had pushed him during their battle for position- came in after Vandoorne who faded from early contention to finish sixth.

Maximilian Guenther, Robin Frijns, and Oliver Rowland rounded off the top-ten, while reigning FE champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) was unable to recover after a challenging race and finished outside the points in eleventh place.

2024 Shanghai E-Prix Race results