Da Costa wins Formula E season-opener in Saudi Arabia

Portuguese Antonio Felix da Costa held off a late charge from defending world champion Jean-Eric Vergne to win the opening race of the Formula E season in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

DS Techeetah ’s Vergne snatched the lead at the halfway stage of the Ad Diriyah ePrix but a drive-through penalty meant he finished second behind BMW Andretti’s Da Costa, with Jerome D’Ambrosio completing the podium for Mahindra Racing.

The city-based single-seater series began its fifth season with a first-ever race in Saudi Arabia, which also saw the debut of the Gen2 car that can hit a top speed of 280 kph and will have sufficient battery power to last an entire race.