Felix da Costa and Dennis are back in the title race after securing a Formula E podium finish in Shanghai

The field of favourites for the Formula E Drivers’ Championship has narrowed following Saturday’s race in Shanghai. In a battle of strategies, Antonio Felix da Costa and Jake Dennis secured podium finishes behind race winner Pascal Wehrlein. Following this strong result, both drivers are now back in contention for the title.

Following Saturday’s rain-soaked race, the battle for the Drivers’ World Championship is heating up further. Alongside race winner Wehrlein, who significantly reduced the gap to championship leader Mitch Evans, it was Felix da Costa and Dennis who also made a comeback with podium finishes. The gaps are incredibly tight. There are just 21 points between Evans and Felix da Costa, who managed to move up to third place. Close behind is Dennis, who trails the Portuguese driver by two points.

Both Dennis and Felix da Costa remained almost exclusively in the leading group throughout the race, but were unable to make headway against a dominant Wehrlein. Starting from fifth on the grid, the Jaguar driver gradually worked his way up the field. Whilst his team-mate Evans fell back during the race, the Portuguese driver managed to stay in the leading pack.

In the process, he also overtook his rival Dennis and, moreover, kept him behind after the Pit Boost phase. He eventually crossed the line in second place. Dennis, who started the race from third place, finished in that very position after even leading for a few kilometres.

Felix da Costa: "We knew there’d be some rain coming"

"It was a good day at the office," said Felix da Costa after the race."‘We qualified in the top five and were in the mix for the win. But we were a bit short in the rain. Before the race, the big question for us was whether to set up the car for wet or dry conditions. We knew there’d be some rain coming. In the end, we went for a halfway house between wet and dry set-ups."

"I’m not entirely sure what the others were doing," he added. "We looked quite good in the wet, but we couldn’t capitalise on our energy advantage against Wehrlein. In the last seven or eight laps, I was simply trying to learn a few things for tomorrow. It looks set to be very wet tomorrow." The 34-year-old also spoke about the championship: "If I need to help Mitch, I’ll do so. This is our third podium in a row now, after Monaco and Sanya. We may not be winning races, but we’re still picking up good points. That’s how you win championships."

Dennis: "Back in the title race"

Dennis also spoke after the race: "I felt relatively good out there. The rain made things a bit harder for us. We weren’t quite sure whether it was going to come or not. I think we got everything right. Even without the rain, third place would have been the best we could have managed. I’m relatively satisfied. It’s a good result for the team. Everything’s coming together; I’m back in the title race."

Even during today’s race, the drivers got a taste of what the rain had in store. For the second race of the Shanghai E-Prix tomorrow, we can expect similar, if not even more adverse, conditions. So it remains exciting.