Da Costa: 'I need to apologise to Nick, I feel horrible'

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Da Costa: 'I need to apologise to Nick, I feel horrible'

Racing is super close in Formula E, and Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa was beyond apologetic at ending title challenger Nick Cassidy's chances in contact in London.

"I’m not sure what to say first," started the Portuguese. "Congrats to Pascal [Wehrlein] and our team because they are deserved champions and any of the three contenders would have been after this. 
I just need to apologise to Nick [Cassidy] because I was the one who gave him that puncture."

With the whole field split by less than seven tenths of-a-second at times in London - the ExCeL Circuit around the historic Docklands also among one of Formula E's tightest - sometimes, contact can be unavoidable with the pack concertinaeing through corners and jostling for position.

On the way back into the indoor section of the circuit and around the final turn, da Costa, Cassidy and Guenther all tried to filter through. Cassidy had nowhere outside his Jaguar to go, with the Maserati Tipo Folgore of Guenther beside, and despite trying to yield, da Costa caught the Jaguar driver's left rear tyre - an instant, race and championship-ending puncture.

cassidy loses cahmpionship replay s10 r16

"The way we’re racing at the moment, with everything getting crunched up, it’s so easy for that to happen but nonetheless, I feel horrible. He was in a great position to win the race with both ATTACK MODEs," da Costa continued.

"I’m happy to be able to help Pascal in the way I did [helping his teammate keep track position] and I did that many times this year and I did play a part in him winning. Equally, I played a horrible part in taking it away from Nick. I know how hard it is to win this championship, so all I can say is sorry to him, his family and his team."

The Season 6 champion won more races than anyone in Season 10, even with one removed from him thanks to a technical infringement in Misano. A run of four wins in five from Berlin to Portland is a feat only he and one other - Sebastien Buemi, Season 2 champion - have managed in Formula E. A tough start to Season 10 meant the title was always unlikely, but da Costa is set for Season 11 - with the talk of Porsche seeking his replacement now firmly put to bed with those on-track heroics.

2024 Portland MOTW Da Costa double victory

"It’s been a rollercoaster of a year where so much has happened from looking like we didn’t have a future in this series almost, to finishing the season with more wins than anyone else – even with one being taken away from us. It’s what could have been really. I learned a lot and I’m getting myself ready for the next one."