Da Costa hoping to continue Formula E/WEC balance

Antonio Felix da Costa is eager to continue balancing duties in Formula E and the FIA World Endurance Championship through 2019 as part of BMW’s factory team in both series.

Da Costa made his WEC debut at Spa in May as part of BMW’s new factory effort in the GTE-Pro class with the M8 GTE car, combining the endurance series with his drive in Formula E with the BMW-linked Andretti team.

A difficult fourth season in Formula E saw da Costa pick up just 20 points with a best finish of sixth in Hong Kong, but the Portuguese driver is keen to continue in the series and combine it with his WEC role.

“I’m working towards that,” da Costa told Crash.net. “I’m enjoying a lot my life as a BMW works driver, they take really good care of me. I’ve been with them since 2014, so it’s been a while now.

“I’m not looking to go anywhere. We’re trying to make everything work and for me to be in a good place for next year in Formula E. Obviously being in the WEC programme, it’s something very good for me as well, and with no clashes between the two programmes its ideal.

“I’m someone who likes to race a lot, so a double programme for me is almost a mandatory thing! I’ve been doing it for the last four years I think, combining Formula E with DTM and F1 test driver and now Formula E and WEC.

“So it’s a lot of travelling, but I don’t mind it.”

WEC PODIUM ‘A MATTER OF TIME’

Driving as part of the #82 BMW team alongside Augusto Farfus, da Costa is yet to record a finish any higher than fifth in the WEC’s GTE-Pro class, but he is confident the team is making enough progress to break onto the podium in the near future.

“I’m feeling really good. I feel like this car really suits my driving style as well, but it’s still all very new,” da Costa said.

“Obviously we have two cars racing in America as well and they provide a lot of data. I still feel like there’s a lot to unlock from the car, and that’s going to come with time and experience and making mistakes and learning from them.

“We just have to go through all of that process and learn from it. I think everyone here is aware of that and working hard to go through those steps as quick as we can.

“I think being on the podium is just a matter of time.”