By alley - May 2, 2016, 12:31 PM ET

DTM: Da Costa feels ready for title push

Antonio Felix da Costa believes he is ready to mount a DTM championship challenge in 2016 for BMW.

The Portuguese driver is preparing for his third season in the series with the Bavarian marque since joining the DTM from Formula Renault 3.5. He won a race for the first time in 2015 and finished 11th in the standings, and told Autosport a title tilt was not out of the question.

"If BMW has a good package, I as a driver am now ready to fight for championships," he said. "You have to be very patient in DTM. You need to have everything working well for you. It's the only championship in the world where the guy who finishes last on the Saturday can win the race on Sunday. This makes it really, really hard.

"To win the championship you have to be really, really consistent and there's a lot to understand, especially with the tires. If I have a good package everywhere, I don't see why not. But it's hard to predict because one day you can win and another you're P20."

BMW has been

granted performance concessions this year

after struggling during 2015, namely a lower base weight than Audi and Mercedes and the scope to widen its rear wing. Most of its points last season came during weekends where BMW drivers were running light based on the series' performance weights, including at Zandvoort, where da Costa claimed his maiden pole and race win.

He says those performances boosted his confidence, but he knows that consistency will be vital if he is to take another step in 2016.

"I managed to move to the front after bad qualifying sessions, and I can control and win a race from the front," he said. "I believe that I can play a good role in any situation. Now we have to bring it all together on a regular basis. Above all, I want to be consistent. The main goal will be to deal with our difficulties and weaknesses from last year.

"If we manage that, we will automatically be in a good position."

Originally on Autosport.com