The Cape Town E-Prix, fifth round of the 2022-2023 season of ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and António Felix da Costa, to TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E, took the win ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske) to Nick cassidy (Envision Racing). Let's see how the day unfolded, between qualifying and the race.
Qualifying: surprise Fenestraz, retirement for Mahindra powered cars
The news that surprised everyone during qualifying was the training camp of all Mahindra motorized (so both Mahindra Racing and ABT CUPRA Formula E) due to a problem with the rear suspension. To prevent risks for the drivers, only 18 cars remained on track during the qualifying sessions in Cape Town.
Few surprises in group A, apart from first place for Sacha fenestraz, with a hitherto underperforming Nissan. With him they switched to duels Nick cassidy (Envision Racing), the championship leader pascal wehrlein (Tag Heuer Porsche) and the winner of Hyderabad, Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske).
Group B proved to be more problematic, with an excellent time from Rene Rast (NEOM McLaren Formula E) to get ahead before the disaster. In turn 9, which gave problems throughout the weekend, Edward Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) loses the rear and ends up against the wall. No yellow flags are displayed, with two cars dodging the single-seater stopped on the track. The third car, that of Sam bird (Jaguar TCS Racing), loses the rear and ends up against a wall, hitting the Maserati stopped on the track. The red flag is immediately displayed and I pass, beyond Rast Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing), Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing) to Maximilian Gunther (Maserati MSG Racing).
In the duels, emotions for Fenestraz who advances by 53 thousandths on Vergne, and Evans who overtakes a Buemi finished in the wall. In the semifinal, thrill for Fenestraz who touches the wall, however beating Cassidy by 1 tenth. The challenge between Fenestraz and Günther is in favor of the Frenchman, who gets the pole and 3 points.
Race: what da Costa overtakes! Deserved victory for the German in Cape Town
At the start Cassidy had an excellent starting point as he tried to challenge Günther in turn 1, then returning to third position. A contact between Sébastien Buemi and Pascal Wehrlein in turn 10 led to the championship leader's retirement, with Wehrlein hitting Buemi from behind and unable to restart with suspension damage. Buemi had braked a little wrong, delaying it, and Wehrlein followed him further, making contact. Enter the scene Full Course Yellow, followed immediately after by Safety car to consolidate the group. Before the entry of the FCY also Mortara retired, stopped on the track, and at the same time Günther got the lead of the race, overtaking Fenestraz. The replay however shows how Günther would have overtaken under FCY.
DRAMA ON THE OPENING LAP!!! 🤯
- ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) February 25, 2023
Our Championship leader @PWehrlein crashes into the back of @Sebastien_Buemi at Turn 7 and the yellow flag is out!#CapeTownEPrice
After three laps under the Safety Car, the race restarted in an orderly manner, with a little train without particular risks for any driver. The first to activate theAttack Mode are Sette Camara and Buemi, in the last two positions, in combination 1+3 minutes. In the seventh lap the race direction announced the investigation into Evans for using too much energy. At the same time, Vandoorne and the two Andretti-Porsches activate Attack Mode, respectively in combination 1+3 and 2+2. In the top 10, Vergne, Ticktum and Nato are the first to activate Attack Mode, with a more favorable trajectory than usual. Vergne, in particular, only loses one position to Rast, but cannot recover it before the end of the boost.
Three-way battle at the head of the race between Cassidy, Fenestraz and Günther
In the ninth lap, Fenestraz activates his Attack Mode, with Günther following a lap later. Both riders stay side by side up to turn 1, where the German gets the better of it. Evans receives a drive through by the race direction for using too much energy, slipping to the back of the group in fifteenth position.
In the fourteenth lap, Cassidy activates the first Attack Mode with 3 + 1 mode, while Günther uses his last to try to put pressure on Fenestraz for the virtual lead of the race. Fenestraz doesn't lose much ground from Cassidy, despite the latter being in Attack Mode, also taking advantage of the slipstream that the Envision pilot offers him. In the middle of the top 10, a good fight is created between Vergne and Rast, with the two riders battling each other for fifth position, with the advantage however remaining with Vergne thanks to the longer duration of the Attack Mode.
Precisely thanks to the greater energy, Vergne manages to mend the gap with the fourth position of Antonio Felix daCosta, with the Frenchman who at the end of lap eighteen risks losing everything in turn 1. In the meantime, Jake dennis (Avalanche Andretti) discounts a drive through for not respecting the minimum tire pressures, slipping to the back of the group.
Twist: Günther forced to retire
In the twenty-first lap, surprisingly, Günther makes a wrong braking and ends up against a wall, and is forced to retire due to the damage. In doing so, the fight for second place ends in favor of Fenestraz. Due to the Maserati stopped on the track, the Full Course Yellow. Cassidy loses his Attack Mode, while Fenestraz holds about 50 seconds to try and reclaim second place. With overtaking before the FCY, the top 4 are Cassidy, da Costa, Vergne and Fenestraz.
The only driver who needs to activate his Attack Mode is da Costa, while all the others find themselves having already used up all their power boosts. Da Costa, taking advantage of the increased energy, overtook Cassidy in turn 8, with a wonderful maneuver that took him to the lead of the race. The Portuguese then manages to extend, to have an excellent advantage in view of the activation of his latest Attack Mode.
The bad luck for Da Costa is that, at the end of the twenty-fifth lap, he missed the last of the three sensors and lost all the advantage accumulated at the front of the Cape Town E-Prix. The situation smiles at Vergne, who inherits the lead of the race during the twenty-seventh lap when Da Costa activates Attack Mode. The Portuguese himself is in difficulty in terms of energy, because he used a lot of it to create the gap initially.
The race direction, by regulation, adds two laps to the 30 regulations, thus bringing the race to 32. Da Costa is once again behind Vergne, but the difference in energy is about 0.5% to the advantage of the Frenchman. Just behind the front two, Fenestraz overtook Cassidy for third position, with the group from third to sixth very compact.
Da Costa, what a pass for the win!
The first two continue a close fight, with da Costa trying to overtake, again, in turn 8, and manages to pass Vergne masterfully.
HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE 🤌
- ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) February 25, 2023
A move worthy of winning any race. Take a bow @AFelixdacosta 👏#CapeTownEPrice pic.twitter.com/G2hrANaCTk
The two continued their duel, with da Costa fending off Vergne to take victory at the Cape Town E-Prix. In the last lap, Fenestraz lost the car and crashed into the barriers, giving the last place on the podium to Cassidy.
Standings
So let's see the rankings after the E-Prix:
