General
Da Costa wins big raffle in Formula E after absurd weekend
- Ludo van Denderen
The second E-Prix in Berlin this weekend was a winner for Antonio Felix da Costa. After a chaotic race with multiple safety cars, the Porsche driver crossed the finish line in P1. Nick Cassidy (Jaguar) finished the E-Prix in Germany in P2, while Oliver Rowland (Nissan) finished third.
There they stood, brotherly side by side: Nyck de Vries, Robin Frijns and Nico Müller. Not in their racing overalls, but in jeans and a shirt from their Formula E team. Around them, 22 Formula E drivers were preparing for the second E-Prix of the weekend in Berlin, while the trio were forced to watch as they were active in the World Endurance Championship on Saturday.
That these three drivers - like Sébastien Buemi - were not allowed to compete had been known for some time, but that does not make it any less absurd. The fans in the stands of the Tempelhof circuit would like to see the best drivers compete in Formula E, but a strange rule from the FIA made that impossible: a driver is not allowed to participate in two events in one weekend, even if there are two Formula E races.
Marked field of participants in Berlin
With the field of participants devalued, it became a lot of pushing and pulling in Berlin - as on Saturday - resulting in some damage here and there. Already on the first lap, Mitch Evans (Jaguar) left Norman Nato (Andretti) not enough space, causing the Frenchman to hit the wall and see some parts fly off his car. Meanwhile, at the front, it was the now-familiar platoon-riding (to save as much energy as possible), with the two Jaguars and the two Porsches becoming interlopers at the front.
The two top teams were unable to pull away from the rest of the field, especially after the safety car had to enter the track after 12 laps following a Maximilian Günther's collision with the wall. Once back at full speed, the great raffle at the front continued. Almost every lap, several drivers were briefly in first position, as is normal in cycling. With so many cars always next to each other, an accident was waiting to happenn. Stoffel Vandoorne was a prime victim of this, followed a little later by Sacha Fenestraz. The Frenchman crashed into the wall, prompting another safety car.
Back at speed, the picture of the race remained the same: a lot of wheelbanging, a lot of contact, the necessary damage and constant changes at the front. Only in the absolute closing stages did Da Costa manage to create a gap to the rest. That turned out to be just enough for him to earn his first win this season.
The results of the second E-Prix in Berlin
