"I'm here for the long haul" - Felix da Costa celebrates Formula E win in Misano, criticises Porsche cohesion

Antonio Felix da Costa came out on top in the Formula E energy battle in Misano on Saturday and celebrated his first win of the season. The Portuguese driver stayed in the leading group throughout the race and ultimately benefited from his clever energy management. After the race, he expressed his relief on TV, but also appealed to the team spirit at Porsche.

"It's good - that was a proper DAC attack," said Felix da Costa shortly after the end of the race, celebrating his ninth victory in total in Formula E. "What a mess," he laughed, alluding to the countless position changes that resulted from the extreme slipstreaming. "That was crazy. But I had a lot of fun."

"It was more like being smart, being aware where everybody is," he explains his key to success. "At times we were four or five side by side coming from every direction. I got hit a few times, but luckily nothing too big (happened) to my car. At the end, I was really struggling to turn to the right, but in the end we held on."

"I think the strategy in terms of energy was perfect - we went (for it) at the right time," he praises his TAG Heuer Porsche team, before becoming reflective and a bit emotional.

Indirect criticism of Porsche: "We have to be a team"

His victory was preceded by several difficult weeks. After a disastrous start to the season, Porsche had reportedly tested ABT driver Nico Müller - supposedly as a potential replacement for the (until then) unsuccessful Felix da Costa.

The reporting does not seem to have left him unscathed. "There's ups and downs in life, and nobody is perfect," he explains and then indirectly criticises Porsche: "We've got to be a team when times are bad. I think, today will be good for that. I'm here for the long haul. This is the first (win) of the season, and hopefully the first of many."

In fact, Felix da Costa has recently shown a remarkable upward trend: after three races without points at the start of the season, the Formula E champion from season 6 first finished sixth, then fourth and now first in Misano. As a result, he climbed to seventh place overall in the drivers' championship standings and is therefore more or less back on target.

On Sunday, Felix da Costa already has the chance to further reduce the gap to the top. Race start at the second round of the Misano E-Prix is again at 3 pm (CEST).