Monaco: Felix da Costa finishes on the podium despite spinning, Evans extends Formula E Championship lead

The second day of racing in Monaco once again provided plenty of drama. Among others, it was once again Antonio Felix da Costa who was hit by bad luck on lap 1. In the battle for position, Edoardo Mortara drove into the back of him, causing him to spin. Despite the incident, the Jaguar driver was able to continue and even secured third place in the end. Team-mate Mitch Evans further consolidated his lead in the drivers' world championship with a strong fourth place.

The harbour chicane did not seem to be a happy place for Felix da Costa this weekend. After colliding with Dan Ticktum in the battle for the podium yesterday and retiring, his rival Mortara crashed into the rear of his Jaguar this time, just a few metres from the scene of yesterday's accident. The Portuguese driver spun in the chicane and dropped back from the leading group to the very back of the field, but was able to continue.

However, his race to catch up was not uneventful. Several times he touched not only the walls but also other drivers, which was clearly visible on his Jaguar after the race. In the meantime, he was even able to take the lead before the first full-course yellow phase, before he had to let Mortara, the eventual race winner Oliver Rowland and Felipe Drugovich pass him again and finally finished the race in third place - because of the time penalty for Mortara.

Felix da Costa: "It's like the third world war"

The 34-year-old commented on his race in the interview as follows: "I don't know whether to be happy or angry. I've been hit from behind so many times this season, I couldn't believe it. I thought that people were taking it slow on lap 1. I got hit, spun and fell back completely. With a good strategy from the team and a lot of risk, I was able to get back to the front. After the incident, I'm happy to be on the podium."

This is Felix da Costa's 30th podium in his Formula E career. He also spoke about the contacts he made during his race to catch up: "I touched the wall a few times and also a few people. In the turmoil it is like the third world war. You just have to risk it. I am happy that I was able to get back to the front."

Evans: "Didn't hit the strategy today"

Things were not quite so turbulent for team-mate Mitch Evans. He was also able to lead the race for a short time, but then dropped back again. He spoke to e-Formel.de about how he experienced the chaotic race: "We didn't quite hit the strategy to fight for the podium today. But in general it was a strong race. It could definitely have gone worse. We have to be satisfied with that. These races are never easy. It can always end very quickly. I tried my best and did everything right"

"We took the first attack mode too early, I fell behind in terms of energy. I kind of wish we had followed Antonio's strategy a bit. He was fast all day and deserved the podium, the New Zealander went into more detail about why it was only enough for fourth place.

Evans was thus able to maintain his lead in the world championship, which he secured on Saturday. The European races of the season are now over. Next up are three races in China in June. In five weeks, Formula E celebrates its return to Sanya, where it last raced in 2019. The double-header in Shanghai follows at the beginning of July. The twelfth season of the Formula E World Championship is slowly but surely entering its hot phase.