One of the big surprises of the “dead season” of Formula E was the incorporation of Antonio Felix Da Costa to Porsche, a team that seeks to be a protagonist in the Gen3 era.
Replacing Andre Lotterer, Da Costa wants to bring his experience and champion’s race to place the German brand at the top of the electric single-seater series.
The Portuguese spoke about the season that is about to begin during pre-season testing at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, Spain. “It’s a very different team and that means good things and also less good things,” he said in statements reported in the Madrid daily Marca.
The former DS driver has found in Porsche a different way of working, but with the same ultimate goal: “It is a more fixed structure, with more marked steps. Porsche has a winning mentality, if you enter something is to win and that is also my goal”.
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Test Performance
The first days of preseason for the German team, which this year will contest its fourth season in Formula E, have left the two Porsche consistently in the top ten, even if they are still insignificant references.
“We are doing well. We will be there to fight for at least a top five in Mexico, although with so many changes it will be a completely unpredictable race,” said Da Costa.
There is great expectation for the start of the Gen 3 era scheduled to open on January 14 in Mexico City. One of the most significant changes starts from the single-seaters themselves, which arrive with more than 470 horsepower, to the sporting regulations.
“Everything has changed a lot this year. Above all it is a step forward in technology. It’s the most efficient car in the world, it generates 40% of the energy consumed in each race. Now we can recover 600 kW compared to 250 in Gen2. There is more power, less weight, we go faster and that is always positive for a driver,” added the Portuguese.
“We are still racing on the same circuits, bumpy and narrow, but having a car with more speed will make it more difficult for the drivers,” he explained.
About the tires, Da Costa pointed out that it is a more difficult car to master. “We still have to get to know them and experience them. I was expecting a bit more grip, for me they are too hard and it makes things a bit complicated for us, but we are still getting to know how they work.”
In addition to the tires, they also change the handling due to the new mechanical configuration of the electric single-seaters, with a front engine that recovers energy under braking, front tires that are no longer protected by the wheel arches and the absence of the mechanical rear brake.
