The final race in Portland was just moments away. The weather yesterday was sunny, but a cloud was looming over the start and finish straight.
Starting on pole was Jean-Éric Vergne, who secured this 17th pole in front of DS Penske’s home crowd. Joining JEV in the front row, was António Félix da Costa, who was yesterday’s winner. The championship leader Nick Cassidy started from seventh, hoping for a cleaner race, after spinning out on the penultimate lap.
His teammate, Mitch Evans, who was the pole-sitter for Race 1, started from eleventh. Evans also looked to keep a clean race, after his five-second penalty took him away from a podium finish. Pascal Wehrlein needed to score big, as the German driver is in a battle for the title, starting behind his rival Cassidy.
Jake Dennis had to make due with eighteenth, but he is no stranger to big overtakes, as he finished in second after starting from that area in Misano.
It was go-time in Portland and all drivers made it past Turn 1 without any issues, with Da Costa briefly taking the lead from JEV, who fumbled the breaks.
There was some side-by-side action with both of the NEOM McLaren drivers, trying to get past Robin Frijns. Sam Bird made it through, but Hughes bounced into the lead, with De Vries joining him from behind.
Cassidy played it cool, sliding himself in eighteenth, to conserve energy and let the slipstream do the work. Meanwhile, Hughes went for his first jolt of power, going up to the full 350kW for two minutes. De Vries followed suit. It seemed like the strategy was to get through Attack Mode as quick as possible.
Whilst the first batch activated Attack Mode, JEV inherited the lead, but the DS Penske driver dove in for his boost, and rejoined in third. Hughes was now back in the lead, in front of De Vries. — Could the NEOM McLaren driver secure his maiden win in Formula E?
Hughes was quick to activate his second and final boost of power, but it was damage for Wehrlein!
The Porsche drivers’ front wing got stuck under his car, with damage to the front end. Wehrlein had to pit for a change.
Nightmare for Wehrlein! 🫣
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
The @PorscheFormulaE driver's front wing lodges itself under the car, slowing his progress massively.@Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/cB8ccKdpaG
The chaos continued with Bird running off the track, with damage to his front end. Hughes was now running solo for the NEOM McLaren team.
The race proved tough for Wehrlein, who had to drive with a missing front wing, but it was even tougher for Bird, who collected the Porsche’s wing.
Damage for Bird! 😱
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
The @McLarenFE man picks up debris from Wehrlein's machine, ruining his race. @Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/lfubdEn0ry
Jake Hughes made a mistake and ran deep into Turn 1, missing the apex. He lost two positions and Sebastian Buemi was in the lead from JEV.
Buemi was the next unlucky driver, as he was handed a drive-through penalty for a technical infraction.
Wehrlein was now flying, moving back up to seventeenth, continuing to charge. He went up the inside of the start/finish straight and found himself back in the points in tenth.
Nico Müller took the lead in Lap 10, while Cassidy was still down in sixteenth, biding time. Cassidy was in a fight with both ERT drivers to make his way to the front.
The drivers bunched up in Turn 1 and a crunch of carbon was heard. Wehrlein was suddenly back up in seventh, with some strong overtakes from the German driver.
Hughes was way off track at Turn 6 and had to end his race. It was noted that Fenestraz came in too close, ultimately pushing the British driver off the track.
Five drivers pitted, including the championship leader Cassidy, claiming that someone drove into him.
Traffic jam in the pits! 🤯
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
Cassidy, Dennis, de Vries and Collet all head back to the pit lane after sustaining damage in the melee.@Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/Oh20lIV3CN
Although Wehrlein was under investigation for the incident involving his front wing and Sam Bird, he still took his opportunity and pushed for the win, as he went four wide into Turn 1.
With JEV holding the lead, he was 1% down on energy compared to Da Costa. Wehrlein’s Porsche was on a similar level to the DS Penske car.
Only nine laps left, and the race was truly frantic so far. Da Costa looked comfortable with his energy, 2% up, while Frijns came up to lead down to Turn 10.
The safety car was brought out because there was just too much debris on the track. This could have been an advantage for Cassidy, as the pack would bunch up closer, and he still had a decent amount of energy.
Sacha Fenestraz was also handed a five-second penalty for pushing a car off track.
The safety car could have meant that laps might be added to the end of the race. The race could have been flat-out, and the strategists had to make sure that the energy levels will be sufficient to finish the race.
With the safety car back in, Frijns controlled the pack, bunching them up and bolting out of the final corner, getting the race back on track.
Da Costa slipped into the lead, the Portuguese driver, still rich on energy, looked to set the pace. Evans was eager to get by both ABT Cupras, picking them off one-by-one. He first got Lucas di Grassi and then Müller, with the latter going deep into Turn 1.
The final stage of the race saw the TAG Heuer Porsche drivers work together. Da Costa, who had more energy compared to the surrounding drivers, backed up the pack to give Wehrlein a chance to overtake Frijns. However, Evans took the opportunity and took P3 from Wehrlein.
Race Control added one lap and Evans got by Frijns for second using his final Attack Mode, but Da Costa still had more energy.
The Porsche driver was building his momentum, opening a gap to build a lead over six-tenths on Evans. His team told him to stay in front, as Frijns came for him, after regaining second from Evans. The Dutchman also set the fastest lap of the race with a 1:10.650.
ADMIN IS SHAKING 🫨@afelixdacosta keeps Frijns at bay to claim back-to-back victories in Portland!@Hankook_Sport #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/p2GukOT4ix
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 30, 2024
Round 2 of the Portland E-Prix reached its final lap, and it was down to Da Costa, Frijns and Evans in the front frow. Frijns fought for the lead, attacking Da Costa, who wanted to conserve energy and keep the Dutch driver at bay.
For a moment, it looked as if Frijns closed in on Da Costa, but the Portuguese driver had the gap he needed, driving out of the final corner, and taking the win! — This marked three wins in a row for António Félix da Costa.
Da Costa was also the only driver in Formula E history to win three times in a row, back in 2020. He’s done it all again.
Frijns stayed in second, the Envision driver kept it consistent, putting in two great performances throughout the weekend, giving Da Costa a challenge.
Mitch Evans bounced back after a defeating Race 1 and took third place. A great rebound from the Australian driver, who is now in level with Wehrlein on points and just 12 points off Cassidy.
Nick Cassidy had a weekend to forget, crashing out of Race 1 and forced to pit in Race 2, earning zero points.
Heading into the final race of season 10, the 25-point lead for Cassidy is shortened, with Evans and Wehrlein right at his tail. Every single point in London will be vital for the top three, as it is a circuit where Qualifying will set the stage.
