Jaguar’s da Costa plays tactics to perfection to win Jeddah E-Prix Race 2

Antonio Felix da Costa scored his first race victory for Jaguar in the second race of the Jeddah E-Prix.

The Portuguese driver was untouchable in the final 10 laps of the 30-lap race, holding a lead of over three seconds by the time he took his second Attack Mode four laps later. That meant he didn’t lose the lead when he strayed off line to activate the additional 50kW of power and four-wheel drive, and he eventually crossed the line 2.574s ahead of Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi, making it a Jaguar-powered one-two.

Buemi started seventh on the grid but wasted no time in surging forward, and first took the lead on lap 4 when he went from fourth to second at Turn 13, then by Oliver Rowland for the lead on the approach to the final chicane. Buemi, Rowland, Edoardo Mortara and da Costa diced for the lead for the next few laps until da Costa pulled the pin on lap 20.

Da Costa (No. 13) battles Andretti's Jake Dennis on his way to the front. Simon Galloway/Getty Images

Rowland finished third, managing to keep Mortara behind him despite the Mahindra driver having an Attack Mode advantage. Starting fourth, Rowland, like Buemi got to the front early on but dropped out of the lead fight on lap 12, settling in sixth to save energy before mounting a late surge to the podium.

Mortara had to settle for fourth having not made the most of his late second Attack Mode – a six-minute use – to reclaim position, while Cupra Kiro had its first double points finish of the season with Dan Ticktum in fifth and Pepe Marti in sixth.

The two, however, came together on the penultimate lap with Ticktum looking to make a move through Turns 8 and 9. The contact resulted in Marti hitting the wall and while their positions were reversed in the scuffle, the team didn't lose any ground.

Mitch Evans enjoyed a late Attack Mode-influenced push forward to take seventh, ahead of Race 1 winner Pascal Wehrlein who had a quiet run to eighth, with Jean-Eric Vergne and Taylor Barnard completing the points scorers.

There were no retirements or safety cars in the race, meaning Nyck de Vries, who started last and served a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for multiple component changes, was unable to move from 20th, while Jake Dennis dropped out of a solid podium challenge on lap 18 with a puncture. He eventually finished 19th.

The win was the 13th of da Costa’s Formula E career and his first since Portland in 2024 after a trying final season with Porsche in 2024-25.

Wehrlein continues to lead the drivers' standings but his lead over Mortara has been trimmed from 14 points to just six, while Rowland's podium jumps him up from seventh to third overall.

Porsche continues to lead the teams' standings, with Jaguar moving from fourth to second after the win at the expense of Mahindra and Citroen. The German brand also continues to lead the manufacturers' standings from Jaguar, although its lead there has shrunk from 44 points to 19.

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