Chaos Ensues In Doubleheader Weekend For Formula E's Portland E-Prix
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It was quite a wild last weekend in Portland, with Antonio Felix Da Costa sweeping the races for Tag Hueur Porsche Formula E Team as the battle heats up for the chase at a championship.
Da Costa, who resigned with Tag Hueur Porsche for next season, practically won himself a contract for 2024 with this stretch of races he has had and is looking to bring more to the table in the final races in London.
Jaguar TCS Racing suffered a major setback in their chase for the title between the three championships up for grabs in Portland, featuring a spin out by Nick Cassidy towards the end of race one.
That incident in Turn 12 ultimately was the catalyst for the weekend and allowed Da Costa to scoop up his third race win in four races.
Now that the Portugese driver is mathmatically back in the hunt for a chance at a title, the final weekend in London has set up to be Jaguar vs. Porshce, with a lot at stake.
Da Costa Dominance
Ironically, this stretch for DAC is the tied for the longest single-season streak of wins in Formula E history, last done by Antonio himself in 2019-20.
In every interview, Da Costa has been stating that all the eggs are in the basket with teammate Pascal Wehrlein, who is also 15 points behind Cassidy for the championship, but Da Costa has a chance still to do the improbable.
It is unlikely that the Porsche driver will have a true shot to win the title, but, he has definetly showcased championship brillance during the race to the end of the season.
If it wasn't for the Misano DQ, Da Costa would be leading the points and comfortably heading into London at the top of the drivers' standings.
Same can be said for Mitch Evans who experienced a twist of fate moment with NEOM McLaren driver Jake Hughes that resulted in a five-second penalty for the Kiwi.
Da Costa definitely has the momentum to take the drivers' title home but everything must work out in favor of Antonio for that to happen.
Final Thoughts
The push to London certainly became a fun one in Portland.
In a weekend that looked like it would be dominated by Jaguar, the tables have definitely shifted.
It still feels like Nick Cassidy should be able mustard up enough to take home the drivers' trophy and hopefully the teams' title, but Evans and Wehrlein have made the chase tighter.
The big key will be the dynamic of support between both Porsche drivers and both Jaguar drivers.
Watching qualifying last week with Da Costa defeating Wehrlein in the Quaterfinals of the Duels, it felt very odd given what he has said about backing his teammate.
It seems like this team vs. team battle for the title may present more of a blurry picture than meets the eye.