Da Costa strides towards Formula E title with Berlin E-Prix double
Antonio Felix Da Costa has moves closer once more to the 2019/20 Formula E title with another resounding win in Berlin in a carbon-copy of his dominant success just 24 hours earlier.
Having driven beyond the chaos behind to claim victory in the first of six races to be held at the Berlin Tempelhof Airport circuit on Wednesday, Da Costa was again impossible to beat in the DS Techeetah car as he turned pole into a lights-to-flag win.
With his only pressure occurring when he went for attack mode, allowing alongside Sebastien Buemi to draw alongside briefly, Da Costa simply pulled clear again to defeat the Swiss driver by more than three seconds.
Now his third win in a row – including his success in Morocco several months earlier – Da Costa had already extended his lead from 15 points to 41 overnight, but this has now ballooned to 68 points with four races remaining as his erstwhile closest title rivals endured another day to forget.
Indeed, a third place for Lucas di Grassi behind fellow Formula E veteran Buemi means he is now seated second in the overall standings, but faces a huge task in overhauling the in-form Da Costa having not won a race for Audi this season as yet.
Even so, the Brazilian can be satisfied with his robust defence of a podium from Robin Frijns – which at times looked closed to the line for both drivers as they diced for position – the Dutchman nonetheless settling for fourth having also resisted Stoffel Vandoorne and Sam Bird.
Oliver Rowland made it a double points’ haul for Nissan in seventh position, ahead of Edoardo Mortara, Wednesday’s podium winner Andre Lotterer and Jean-Eric Vergne, the defending champion - almost out of the running mathematically in 12th overall - struggling again with tyre wear.
Elsewhere, Mitch Evans – who came to Berlin on the other end of that 15 point lead – failed to score again for Jaguar, while another person in range of Da Costa coming into the week, Maximilian Gunther, has plummeted to ninth overall after another non-score.
Instead, di Grassi and Vandoorne are now tied for second in terms of points, with Evans in fourth and Bird up to fifth after another positive showing for Virgin Racing.
