Antonio Felix da Costa has declared that the last time he felt as confident and comfortable in a Formula E car as he does now was six years ago, during his title-winning campaign.
The Jaguar driver's belief is building after securing victory in the inaugural Madrid E-Prix, marking back-to-back wins this season.
He is the only driver to have secured multiple wins in the final Gen3 campaign and is putting himself firmly in title contention.
Da Costa performed a superb Pit Boost undercut to win at the Circuito del Jarama from third on the grid, adding to his victory in Jeddah.
Winning consecutive races is nothing new to da Costa, who famously went on a run of four wins in five races after a difficult start to Season 10 with Porsche.
It takes a special kind of talent to secure back-to-back victories in Formula E, and da Costa has found a flow state he has not experienced for several years.
Momentum is firmly in da Costa's corner, with both driver and Jaguar having gelled with ease, allowing him to feel the best he has since becoming champion in Season Six with DS Techeetah.
Asked by RacingNews365 when he last felt this comfortable in a Formula E car, da Costa said: "Yeah, good question. Probably Season Six, when I won that championship with DS.
"I remember joining that team, and that feeling became very natural. The car was fast, I was driving it well, and the relationship with my team and my teammate was good.
"And, yeah, I feel like I've found that again. It's just nice and light, and everybody's there to do the same thing, but everybody also appreciates that private time is important. Time at home is important. Time with family is important.
"I feel like we [drivers] feed off things like that. When I was younger, I just wanted to put on a helmet and go racing. But as I'm getting older, coming home and being home are a big part of my preparation, and I feel like Jaguar understands that well. They let me be myself, and it's working out."
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Da Costa's title belief
With six rounds gone and 11 remaining, da Costa is widely expected to be a title contender and now sits 19 points adrift of former team-mate Pascal Wehrlein in the drivers' standings.
For Formula E, a Wehrlein–da Costa title fight is the dream scenario in the final Gen3 campaign, keeping eyeballs firmly on the championship ahead of Gen4.
Jaguar's package is viewed by many as the strongest on the grid, with da Costa believing this could be his moment to become a two-time champion.
"We always believe," said da Costa, discussing his title chances. "Last year I believed; the year before, I believed.
"But yeah, it's been rare since Season Five that I haven't been in contention — some years more than others. I think Season Nine, I definitely wasn't [in contention].
"But apart from that, I've always been a guy who's been near the lead of the championship or leading it, so I guess we're in that position again.
"Yes, new circumstances, new team, feeling good right now — but things in Formula E change very, very quickly, so we'll try and make it hard for everyone."
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