Da Costa Taken Out in Miami E-Prix After Drugovich Clash

Formula E, Sportrik Media - Antonio Felix da Costa has revealed that Felipe Drugovich issued an immediate apology after an on-track collision ended both drivers’ podium ambitions during a rain-affected Formula E Miami E-Prix.

Both drivers remained in podium contention until the end of lap 26, when Drugovich out-braked himself and made contact with the rear of da Costa’s car. The incident occurred under wet conditions, significantly reducing margins for error during close wheel-to-wheel racing.

The contact spun da Costa, although he was able to rejoin the race quickly, albeit with damage. Drugovich suffered front-wing damage that forced an immediate pit stop, effectively eliminating his chances of converting strong pace into a top result.

Race stewards deemed Drugovich fully responsible for the incident. The Andretti driver received a 10-second time penalty and one penalty point, bringing his total to four penalty points overall.

For da Costa, the incident marked another frustrating moment in his early races with Jaguar. Despite the setback, the former Formula E world champion managed to salvage points by finishing eighth, limiting the damage to his championship position.

Da Costa confirmed that Drugovich apologised straight away after the race, acknowledging responsibility for the contact during their close fight.

“I actually saw him coming,” said Antonio Felix da Costa.
“It all happened so fast; he was so close up there.”

He explained that avoiding the incident was virtually impossible once both cars were committed to their braking zones.

“It’s impossible, either for him or for me, to avoid it. The only way to avoid it is for him to brake a little bit earlier,” he added.
“We were racing hard and very close to each other, and this is part of racing. He apologised right away, so we close the chapter and move on to the next one.”

From Drugovich’s perspective, the collision brought a disappointing end to what had been his strongest Formula E weekend to date. The Brazilian rookie had qualified second in a dry qualifying session before rain altered race conditions.

The 2022 Formula 2 champion appeared to be in contention for his first podium in the all-electric series before misjudging da Costa’s braking point at Turn 13.

Explaining the incident, Drugovich said he braked at his usual reference point but was left with no space as the gap closed rapidly.

“Honestly, not much happened. I out-braked Antonio,” said Felipe Drugovich.
“It was kind of my normal braking point.”

He added that his final attempt to avoid contact came too late.

“I saw the gap closing and thought he was going to go to the inside because he was braking earlier. I tried to move inside and then go back to the outside, but he stayed there,” Drugovich explained.
“At the last moment, I locked up and tried to avoid him. It’s not a massive mistake, but it ended up having massive consequences.”

The Miami incident underlined the fine margins of Formula E racing in mixed conditions, impacting both da Costa’s search for momentum with Jaguar and Drugovich’s bid to convert emerging pace into results. The outcome is likely to influence both drivers’ approaches as the championship moves on to its next phase.