António Félix da Costa of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team won the first-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in Cape Town over the weekend, owing to an audacious overtaking manoeuvre executed not once but twice to take the lead.
Jean-Éric Vergne of DS Penske took the second spot, with Envision Racing's Nick Cassidy in third on a track delivering the fastest lap in Formula E history.
The Porsche driver started on the 11th position, but worked his way through the top 10 and into the top three by Lap 20. Da Costa’s move for P1 was one of the best motorsport fans will ever see. On Lap 24 he made his outrageous pass to steal the lead from Nick Cassidy at the trickiest part of the track – a tough Turn 7, 8 and 9 combination that had been the site of three crashes earlier in the weekend. The Season 6 champion went around the outside of Turn 7 and held his position inside at Turn 8.
The race saw the attendance of international icons of South African sport and music including current national rugby team captain Siya Kolisi; DJ, producer and songwriter Black Coffee; former Springbok captain and 1995 Rugby World Cup winner Francois Pienaar; and DHL Stormers players including Damian Willemse, Evan Roos and Seabelo Senatla.
The Portuguese pulled enough of a gap to take his second mandatory “attack mode” and retake the lead but he missed the activation loop – handing the lead to Hyderabad winner Jean-Éric Vergne a lap later. The Frenchman had never had back-to-back wins to this point.
The drivers, who have been former teammates then fought to the flag – Vergne having taken just one of his 11 victories to-date by more than two seconds – and fresh off a vintage defensive drive to win in Hyderabad. The gap was half-a-second with the full 30 laps down and just two added for the time lost to cautions.
The race also saw Nissan Formula E Team’s Sacha Fenestraz hit the wall on the final lap to crash out of the race.
René Rast (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) steered to fourth after a six-place gain, while Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing) took the flag in fifth. Dan Ticktum ensured NIO 333 Racing would score strongly again with a sixth position finish. Reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne settled for seventh. Norman Nato (Nissan), André Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) and Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) rounded out the top 10.
It proved to be an unlucky day for Jaguar TCS Racing team as Sam Bird's damaged car wasn't fit to make the start after his qualifying shunt, then Mitch Evans was slapped with a drive-through penalty for an overpower violation, dropping him out of a strong fourth spot at the time, early in the race.
Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis had worked his way up to ninth, looking to capitalise on standings leader Wehrlein’s retirement, until receiving a drive-through penalty for under-pressured tyres.
Round 6 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the 2023 Julius Baer São Paulo E-Prix on Saturday, 25 March, the first time Formula E has raced in Brazil.
