E-Prix Portland, Race 1: Da Costa takes advantage of the Jaguar own goal | FP

The mistake you don’t expect

From qualifying to the first E-Prix this weekend in Portland, there have been continuous twists and turns from start to finish in the fight for the world title: when everything seemed to be going well for Nick Cassidy, author of a good comeback after the misstep in the hunt for pole position, the New Zealander from Jaguar threw away a potential victory on the penultimate lap, which would prove to be of fundamental importance also due to the 8th place of his teammate team Mitch Evans (actually the winner but penalized by 5 seconds) and 10th by Pascal Wehrlein. The battle for the world championship therefore remains open, while in the United States he celebrates success Antonio Felix da Costa, his third success and the second in a row after the one obtained in China. They complete the podium Robin Frijns and the former F1 driver Jean-Eric Vergne.

Race report

The start saw Mitch Evans as the protagonist, initially good at defending the first position only to then hand over the lead to Hughes, with an exceptional start also by Wehrlein, immediately ready to recover from eighth place on the grid. However, already from the 3rd lap, the race saw continuous changes in hierarchy, on the one hand due to the attack modes and on the other due to the numerous overtakings carried out especially at the height of the straights, with incessant upheavals in all areas of the classification. Brawls which, on lap 5, cost Jake Hughes dearly, forced to return to the pits due to a puncture after a contact with Evans. An episode which also denied the New Zealander the possibility of actually achieving victory, thanks to one 5 second penalty imposed on him by the Race Direction. The very compact group gave the Portland crowd a spectacular race, with Cassidy completing his comeback to take the top of the standings at the 21st of the 27 total laps. The world ranking leader, thanks to this performance, can therefore extend his lead over Evans, immediately behind him but with the possibility of being able to duel on the track with his compatriot, and over Wehrlein, who in the meantime has slipped out of the top-10 . However, when everything seems to be going the right way for Cassidy, here’s the last, big twist: the New Zealander, at the entrance to the penultimate corner, he dramatically loses control of his Jaguarthus ending up at the back of the group.