Antonio Felix da Costa has shed some light on his motorsport future, stating that he wants to be part of the next generation of endurance racing, but that his focus will remain with his involvement in Formula E.
Da Costa is currently competing in his third season in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He made his series debut with BMW during the 2018/19 Super Season, after which he signed with JOTA and became part of their LMP2 effort.
He resigned with JOTA for the 2021 season and is coming into the Six Hours of Monza as points leader in class, taking the championship lead with his second WEC victory last time out in Portimao.
The Portuguese driver is currently also one of the top stars in the fiercely competitive ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Racing with DS Techeetah, Da Costa charged to the title in the 2019-20 season currently sits second in the standings for his title defence, thanks in no small part to a victory in Monaco.
His relationship with DS, which is part of the Stellantis family that also features Peugeot, led some to believe he could have been part of Peugeot’s Le Mans Hypercar effort, but he was not selected as one of the seven drivers for the programme, while DS Techeetah team-mate Jean Eric Vergne was.
When asked by MotorsportWeek.com where his future lies with regards to the upcoming arrival of the LMH and LMDh prototypes, as well as his commitments to Formula E, Da Costa explained that his primary focus lies in Formula E, but that he would be more than willing to remain in endurance racing in the future.
“As long as I can keep doing both, it’s perfect,” said Da Costa. “My focus will stay in Formula E, but I believe I have developed myself. The last four, five years I have been doing endurance, I’ve put a lot of work into understanding this format of racing and understanding endurance.
“I’ve not ever made a mistake and compromised the car, so I really think I’ve found a good balance between going fast and bringing the car home.
“And it’s something that I really enjoy, sharing the car, it’s not about you anymore, it’s about the whole team, the whole car, and it’s something that I really enjoy.
“So ideally, yes. If possible, I really want to be on the grid with LMDh and LMH cars.”
The recently announced finalized convergence between LMH and LMDh machinery, which would allow the Le Mans Hypercars to also compete in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, could open more doors for European drivers to race in the United States.
Da Costa has limited IMSA experience, once contesting the Rolex 24 at Daytona with Jackie Chan DC Racing in 2018. While he says he likes racing in America, it would be difficult to commit to a North American campaign given the frequent clashes with the Formula E calendar.
“I did once the 24 Hours of Daytona, which I loved. Obviously, combining IMSA and Formula E is very hard, so going out to America would be a big commitment. I did get a few offers and consider it, but it’s looking a little bit less likely now.”
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