da Costa delivers dominant victory in Jeddah E-Prix
- Teagan Crump
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Written by Teagan Crump
António Félix da Costa has taken his first victory since Portland in 2024 and maiden with Jaguar in a commanding drive at Round 5 in Jeddah. Many drivers led the race, but da Costa built an impressive gap to second position.
Attack Mode proved to be a vital factor in round 5, with the boost altering the outcome of some drivers races. Nyck de Vries was ill-fated from before the race, he was handed a 60-place grid penalty which was converted into a 10-second stop-go penalty.
For the second race in a row, Edoardo Mortara started from pole but crossed the line in fourth after a challenging race. António Félix da Costa delivered an impressive performance, moving from third on the grid to take victory.
Sébastien Buemi overcame the challenge of starting seventh to fight his way up to second position. The podium was completed by Oliver Rowland, who fought from fourth.
LAP BY LAP: Jeddah E-Prix, round 5
Edoardo Mortara started the race on pole, and went on to maintain the lead despite many drivers battling for position. He was overtaken by reigning champion Oliver Rowland, a move that gave the Mahindra driver a tactical advantage.
Lap 3 saw a three-way battle for the lead between Sébastien Buemi, Oliver Rowland and António Félix da Costa before Buemi eventually took the lead on Lap 4.
Jean-Éric Vergne and Rowland had a coming together, which was noted by the stewards but did not directly affect the races of either driver.
Rowland took the lead on Lap 5, and many drivers behind were jostling for position. Mortara re-claimed the lead on Lap 8 before being overtaken by Rowland.
Lap 9 also saw a switch for the lead, with Buemi taking the lead and then losing it to Rowland. There was a close battle between Mortara and Rowland, with the Briton eventually coming out on top. Mortara also battled da Costa, and the Portuguese driver took over the lead of the race.
On Lap 10, rookie Pepe Martí collided with the Lola Yamaha ABT of Zane Maloney, with the latter sustaining rear-wing damage.
At the front of the field, there was a lot of aggression from drivers and the lead was constantly swapping from driver to driver. Several drivers took their first Attack Modes, and the affect was immediate with them charging through the field.
Buemi and Rowland were swapping the lead of the race between themselves, but issues arose for Andretti's Jake Dennis who went wide and had to pit with a suspected puncture.
Lap 20 saw da Costa take the lead of the race, a position which he held until the end of the race. However, there were still intense battles further back- Rowland and Mortara made contact and the latter suffered, going deep into the corner.
The DS Penske drivers were battling, but could not fight their way through the field.
On Lap 24, da Costa's lead looked to be under threat with Dan Ticktum, Rowland and Buemi closing the gap to him.
Lap 26 saw Martí fighting with Season 10 champion Pascal Wehrlein, whilst the other Cupra Kiro of Ticktum engaged in an intense battle with Rowland.
On Lap 29, the battle for the podium positions reached its peak with Buemi, Rowland, Mortara and Ticktum all vying for silverware.
Martí closed the gap to his teammate, and the two began to battle before colliding and the former hitting the wall.
On Lap 30, António Félix da Costa crossed the line to win the Jeddah E-Prix, followed by Sébastien Buem in second and Oliver Rowland in third place.
Jeddah E-Prix: Results (Round 5)
António Félix da Costa (Jaguar)
Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing)
Oliver Rowland (Nissan)
Edoardo Mortara (Mahindra Racing)
Dan Ticktum (Cupra Kiro)
Pepe Martí (Cupra Kiro)
Mitch Evans (Jaguar)
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche)
Jean-Éric Vergne (Citroën Racing)
Taylor Barnard (DS Penske)
Max Günther (Nissan)
Felipe Drugovich (Andretti)
Joel Eriksson (Envision Racing)
Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing)
Lucas di Grassi (Lola Yamaha ABT)
Nico Müller (Porsche)
Norman Nato (Nissan)
Zane Maloney (Lola Yamaha ABT)
Jake Dennis (Andretti)
Nyck de Vries (Mahindra Racing)
