Antonio Felix da Costa secured victory at the Portland E-Prix, securing his third win in four races of the FIA Formula E. This triumph was made possible due to Nick Cassidy’s late slide, who was leading, resulting in a disappointing race for Jaguar TCS Racing. Cassidy, known for his late surges in these chaotic races, went off track just over a lap before the finish line. Mitch Evans, who started in pole position and had already received a five-second penalty for a collision with Jake Hughes’ NEOM McLaren earlier in the race, managed to win on the track but dropped to eighth place due to the penalty. Robin Frijns, whose future with Envision Racing is uncertain, finished an impressive second, with Jean-Eric Vergne in third for DS Penske. Edoardo Mortara secured third place for Mahindra Racing, while Nico Müller achieved a fantastic fifth place for ABT Cupra. Jake Dennis and Sam Bird finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively. Stoffel Vandoorne finished ninth in the second Penske car, and Pascal Wehrlein only managed to score one point for tenth place. Cassidy, who missed a significant opportunity to extend his championship lead, will certainly be disappointed with the dramatic turn of events.
The race started with Evans making a good start, closely followed by Hughes and da Costa, who managed to overtake Frijns. Despite the cars maneuvering around the circuit, with two cars side by side in the early corners, the start of the race was clean and without incidents. On the back straight, Hughes took the lead from Evans, with da Costa and Wehrlein’s Porsches right behind in third and fourth place, respectively. On the second lap, Frijns fought to regain third place, while da Costa dropped five positions. Nato quickly overtook his teammate Dennis and moved up to third place at the end of the lap.
At the beginning of the third lap, Norman Nato took the lead and quickly opened a gap to Hughes, with Dennis now in third place. The three drivers activated the first Attack Mode, with Nato maintaining his lead and Hughes holding onto second place, followed by Frijns. On the fourth lap, Cassidy, who was in 12th place at the time, activated his first Attack Mode. Nato, Hughes, and Frijns activated their second Attack Mode on the following lap, allowing da Costa to move up to second place. Hughes, however, went off track at Turn 13, dropping to 18th place behind his teammate Sam Bird. This incident occurred while Hughes was battling for fourth place with Dennis.
On the seventh lap, Frijns took the lead, with Nato in second and Evans in third. Frijns activated his Attack Mode, temporarily dropping to fourth place, but quickly regained third place from Nato. Dennis was now leading the pack. Hughes’ race was effectively over as he had to go to the pits due to a puncture in the right rear tire caused by the earlier incident with Evans. On the eighth lap, Dennis activated another Attack Mode, dropping to third place and allowing da Costa to take the lead. Evans fought hard and eventually overtook Dennis, securing third place. Fenestraz, who had a disappointing qualifying session, managed to reach seventh place, while Müller and Lucas di Grassi from ABT showed promising performances in sixth and ninth place, respectively.
Evans activated his Attack Mode on the tenth lap, temporarily handing the lead back to Frijns, with da Costa in second and Fenestraz in third. Nato dropped to tenth place, just behind Cassidy, who quickly moved up one position. The pack was in full effect, with da Costa, Müller, and Cassidy frequently exchanging the lead in the early stages of the twelfth lap. Wehrlein activated his Attack Mode, nearly colliding with his teammate while returning to the racing line. British driver Dan Ticktum was making progress and was among the top six, while Bird climbed to fourth place in a few turns of the thirteenth lap.
Cassidy decided to fall back and let the pack pass him, allowing his teammate Evans to take the lead. Bird moved up to second place, with Müller in third. Evans then lost the lead to Frijns at the end of the fourteenth lap, with da Costa now in second place. The race was intense, with the lead constantly changing hands. Mortara found himself in first place on the fifteenth lap. Evans received a five-second penalty for his involvement in the incident that caused Hughes’ puncture. However, replays showed that Evans believed Hughes had moved up on him, leading to protests over the team radio. Cassidy regained the lead one lap later, with Dennis and Nato, who had shown promise early on, now in 15th and 19th place, respectively. Max Günther, who started from the back of the grid due to a penalty, had made it into the top 10.
Vergne quickly took the lead on the seventeenth lap, with Cassidy still holding his position in fifth. However, Cassidy regained the lead once again on the eighteenth lap, with Wehrlein in tenth place and needing to stay close. With just over a quarter of the race remaining, the pack began to spread out a bit, with Cassidy maintaining his lead, da Costa in second, and Evans in third, in a prime position to support his fellow countryman and teammate.
On the twenty-first lap, da Costa overtook Cassidy to claim the lead, while Wehrlein activated his Attack Mode, briefly dropping out of the top 10. Cassidy quickly regained his position in front, with Evans desperately seeking a way to pass da Costa’s Porsche. Despite Wehrlein’s attempt, he struggled to make significant progress and was under investigation for an incident involving Günther’s Maserati.
Faltando quatro voltas, Cassidy liderava a corrida, e Evans finalmente ultrapassou da Costa para garantir o segundo lugar, colocando-se em uma posição privilegiada para apoiar Cassidy. Com apenas duas voltas restantes, Evans, apesar de sua penalidade tornar uma vitória improvável, parecia determinado a desafiar Cassidy. No entanto, ao fazer uma linha apertada no final da volta, ele saiu da pista e deslizou pela grama, voltando à corrida em 18º lugar. Esse erro custou a Evans sua chance de vitória e apertou o domínio de Cassidy na liderança do campeonato.
Evans cruzou a linha de chegada em primeiro na pista, mas da Costa mais uma vez emergiu como o vencedor. Frijns terminou em segundo, seguido por Vergne em terceiro. Cassidy teve a sorte de que sua liderança no campeonato foi reduzida apenas em um ponto, já que Wehrlein não aproveitou ao máximo seu erro.
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O piloto de Fórmula 1 Lewis Hamilton conquistou mais uma vitória impressionante no Grande Prêmio da Espanha no último domingo. Hamilton, que atualmente lidera o campeonato mundial, dominou a corrida desde o início e cruzou a linha de chegada com uma vantagem de mais de 10 segundos sobre o segundo colocado.
Com essa vitória, Hamilton ampliou sua liderança no campeonato, deixando seus concorrentes ainda mais distantes. O piloto britânico mostrou mais uma vez por que é considerado um dos melhores da história, exibindo habilidade e determinação durante toda a corrida.
O Grande Prêmio da Espanha foi marcado por várias disputas emocionantes entre os pilotos. Max Verstappen, da equipe Red Bull, fez uma corrida impressionante e conquistou o terceiro lugar, mostrando que está cada vez mais próximo de desafiar Hamilton pelo título.
Another highlight of the race was the performance of the Ferrari team, which had its two drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, finishing among the top five. The Italian team showed a significant improvement compared to the last races and seems to be closing in on the leaders.
The next stage of the championship will be the Monaco Grand Prix, one of the most traditional and challenging races on the calendar. Hamilton arrives as the favorite, but will have to face fierce competition from Verstappen and the Ferrari and Mercedes teams.
Formula 1 fans are eager to see another thrilling duel on the streets of Monte Carlo. The race promises to be full of excitement and surprises, with the drivers fighting for every position and seeking valuable points for the championship.
Hamilton, once again, showed his superiority and made it clear that he is determined to win his eighth world title. The British driver is a true icon of the sport and continues to write his name in the history of Formula 1.
