António Félix da Costa was at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year. But something wasn’t right. He was in jeans and T-shirt and there was no helmet bag in sight. Twelve months on, the former Formula E champion is back – and he means business.
The Portuguese ace had to sit out the 92nd edition of the twice-round-the-clock contest after being told by his employer, Porsche, that he needed to focus solely on his Formula E programme. He dutifully did so and scored three wins in one of his most successful campaigns to-date.
If you’d seen da Costa at Le Mans last June, catching up with friends and soaking up the atmosphere, you’d have got the impression that he was happy just to be there. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
Beneath the smiles, there was a burning desire to be on the grid again, 12 months after competing for Hertz Team JOTA on the British outfit’s Hypercar debut at La Sarthe, and two years on from achieving a memorable triumph in the race with Will Stevens and Roberto González in LMP2.
But now, finally, he’s back, competing for AF Corse in LMP2 alongside François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxivière. He can’t wait.
“Honestly, being back in LMP2, the cool thing is it will be really pure and exciting,” the 33-year-old told fiawec.com. “I’m not taking any seriousness away from the category or the race, but obviously going in a Pro/Am car, it’s so relaxed and natural. It’s just fun. Three guys wanting to do well, working hard with a good team, testing, trying to make the car quick and knowing I’m just trying to win a race.
“There’s no white noise around it, no million days in the sim, there’s no big media in this. We’re purely going to one of the best racetracks in the world and trying to win the thing, and that I’ve really missed.”
All that said, da Costa palpably still hankers after winning Le Mans outright, and he has a clear focus on achieving that aim. A return to Hypercar – sooner or later – feels inevitable.
“There are perks that come with being in Hypercar and with a manufacturer, and then there are perks in not doing that as well and racing in LMP2,” he says. “So, I’m just trying to enjoy what I’ve got.
“I have two very, very cool team-mates. I already knew Matthieu a little bit, I didn’t know François so well, but I’ve got to know them lately and we’re getting on so well. It’s going to be fun!”
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