The champion who has been through hell and back twice

Antonio Felix da Costa has been through it all in Formula E Season 10, something that was clear in his facial expressions after winning the second race of the recent Berlin double-header. 

The Portuguese driver endured a challenging start to 2024 which saw him fail to finish the season-opening race in Mexico, before he also failed to score a point in the Diriyah double-header which followed. 

Da Costa himself recognised he had not started the season as he had hoped. In the Formula E paddock, few drivers are as honest and open as the Season 6 champion, which is part of the reason why he has such a large following of supporters and is so respected by journalists. 

São Paulo was the initial turning point for the Porsche driver, who scored his first points of the season and then narrowly missed out on a podium in Tokyo. 

However, suddenly it was discovered that Abt Cupra's Nico Müller conducted a test for Porsche, raising concerns over Da Costa's future with the team. In response to the news, he initially won the first race in Misano, before the victory was taken from him by the FIA. 

It was like going from hell and back only to be immediately pushed back to hell, as he was disqualified from the race – it is being appealed, as even the governing body identified his technical infraction as having no impact on performance.

This was an emotionally draining moment, with his celebrations after the race having been legendary – he jumped in a swimming pool! A miserable second race in Misano followed.

However, being the champion he is, he brushed Misano to the side and scored points in Monaco and in the opening race in Berlin, before claiming victory on Porsche's home soil. 

Very few in the history of Formula E have been on a rollercoaster of emotions quite like Da Costa's, making it understandable that this has been the most emotional season of his career.

"Yes," Da Costa simply put it to RacingNews365, when asked if this has been the most emotionally challenging year of his career.

Must keep pushing

Given what happened in Misano, Da Costa did feel a sense of "relief" in Berlin, especially as he safely kept that victory. 

Had it not been for his DSQ, he would be a genuine title outsider, as he would be level on points with Jean-Eric Vergne in sixth.

Whilst the victory in the German capital was a confidence booster, Da Costa sees no reason to stop pushing.

"Formula E, it's so competitive these days that winning a race is a big achievement every year," said Da Costa. 

"We don't see anybody winning six, seven races anymore. You win two, maybe three races in a year. On track, we've done it twice. 

"So it clearly shows that we've made steps especially after the tough start. So yeah, it's a nice relief, but also, at the same time, I don't see why we should slow down now and try and win some more."