The first outing of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Cape Town treated fans in the packed grandstands to the most gripping race of the season. Spectacular wheel-to-wheel duels and overtaking manoeuvres on the 2.927-kilometre circuit in the picture postcard setting between the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain perfectly showcased the fascination of fully electric motorsports. For the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, this marked the third victory after five rounds of the season.  

Despite his early retirement, Pascal Wehrlein, the winner of both races at Diriyah, leads the drivers’ standings of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with 80 points. Thanks to his first win with Porsche, António Félix da Costa has moved up the rankings to fourth place with 46 points. The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team extends its lead in the team classification with 126 points. The Porsche customer team Avalanche Andretti occupies third place after André Lotterer (GER) finished ninth and Jake Dennis (GBR) finished in P13.

Race 5: With his charge from P11 to first place, António Félix da Costa drove one of the best races in his Formula E career on the picturesque city circuit. At the wheel of his Porsche 99X Electric, he immediately launched his charge up the order and ploughed through the field – especially in the second half of the race: after 21 of the 32 laps he was running third, and in lap 24 he put in a spirited overtaking move to snatch the lead. After pulling clear of his pursuers, he activated his attack mode but had to try a second time and lost his lead. However, the Portuguese racer refused to give up and, with another impressive overtaking manoeuvre on the penultimate lap, brought home the well-deserved victory. A collision in the first lap threw his teammate Pascal Wehrlein out of the race.

António Félix da Costa, Porsche works driver (#13): “I still can’t believe it. What a race! Clinching my first win for Porsche here in Cape Town after starting from P11 is simply fantastic. It actually felt like an endurance race with so much happening. Our strategy worked perfectly and I tried to keep my cool over the whole distance but when I crossed the finish line, I got a bit tearful. I want to thank everyone in the team for their terrific support and trust. It spurred me on and made this achievement possible.”

Preview São Paulo E-Prix, 25 March, round 6: As part of its world tour, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship makes a stopover for the first time in Brazil on 25 March. The São Paulo E-Prix in the country’s largest city marks the sixth round on the calendar of this year’s innovative electric racing series. As the leader of the team classification, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team competes in the metropolis of twelve million with two Porsche 99X Electric.

The circuit:
The 2.933-kilometre-long São Paulo Street Circuit featuring eleven turns runs through the Anhembi Sambadrome, where 100,000 spectaculars gather to watch the colour procession of the samba schools during the carnival season. The circuit is a typical Formula E course with 90-degree corners and a chicane on the backstraight. There are no high-speed corners. At this time of the year in São Paulo, rain is almost guaranteed every day. Temperatures range between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.
 
Live TV and Internet coverage:
The worldwide broadcasting schedule of the Formula E event in São Paulo is available at: https://www.fiaformulae.com/watch/ways-to-watch.