

Da costa: "approaching Formula E and Endurance racing differs in mentality"
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F RMULA

BMW racer and Red Bull junior, Antonio Felix da Costa, shares his motivation to join Formula E and where he sees Formula E as opposed to other racing series
24/5/2019
What was your motivation to join Formula E?
- It was five years ago, it was a tough time in my life, when I just lost out on a Formula 1 seat in Toro Rosso. To be honest, I was already a BMW driver, and I knew that one day BMW could join this series, so that was my motivation at that time. Luckily, now we are here, with a factory BMW team, and everything was really good.
How do you look at the development of Formula E during the years and where do you think it can go from here?
- It's impressive, with only five years, how much it improved and has developed. All the manufacturers that are here, all the drivers, a lot of quality, so it's impressive what the championship did in only five years.
How do you look at the jump from Gen1 to Gen2 car?
- It's a clear step forward. Before we needed two cars to complete one race, and now we do a whole race in one car and there is more power. This, in short amount of time, clearly shows the development of technology.
What was the best racecar that you have driven so far in your career, and how do you compare other cars with Formula E?
- I had a lot of fun in many cars. Obviously, Formula 1, the Red Bull, I think it was the RB8, the most impressive one, with the blown-exhausts. I had a lot of fun in Formula 3 and World Series. I drove many racing cars, and Formula E is something very different, it's like comparing Rallycross to World Rally, we have a different way to go racing, different approach, and we are also pushing the boundaries of technology. We are a platform for manufacturers to develop their electric road cars.
How did you have to alter your driving style when approaching Formula E as opposed to, for example, Endurance racing?
- It's easy for me to switch. One race lasts 24 hours, the other lasts 45 minutes, so the mentality needs to be different, but it is not a problem.