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António Félix da Costa believes there is “no consistency at all” in stewards’ decision-making.
The penalty decision comes as a heavy blow to both da Costa and Porsche. (Image credit: Nick Dungan via Formula E Media Bank)The Porsche driver was stripped of a hard-fought second place finish after being handed a three minute penalty for a technical infraction. After qualifying P17, da Costa battled his way through to the front of the pack. The sizeable penalty dropped him to the back of the pack, resulting in a points-less finish for Porsche.
The specifics of the penalty were initially unknown. It was later confirmed that the penalty was incurred as a result of a failure to respect the minimum tyre pressure in the front right tyre. Speaking to media – including FormulaNerds – after the race, da Costa was critical of the stewards’ decision to hand him a penalty. The Porsche driver stated that the low tyre pressure was a result of a puncture “caused by debris”.
“I have a puncture, I’m not trying to play with the tyre pressure, I have a puncture,” he said. “I am actually nursing the car home. I’m not trying to be illegal to find performance, I actually lose performance. I have no air in my tyre.”
Da Costa confirmed that Porsche intends to protest the stewards’ decision. “We just want some fairness in the sport,” he said. “We just want some fairness.”
He added, “[A] technical delegate, if he tells me the car is unsafe, how many races has he done in Formula E in his life? Because I have done more than a hundred. I know what is safe and what is not safe.”
Stewards ‘not good enough’
The 2020 Formula E Champion questioned the decision-making of the stewards. “You’re able to do qualifying in Rome with a broken wing, they say you can keep going like Stoffel [Vandoorne] did. Norman [Nato] did a full race in Rome with a broken front wing, no problem. And now they’re disqualifying me because I have a puncture.”
When asked by FormulaNerds whether there is an inconsistency with how decisions on penalties are made, da Costa replied, “There is no consistency. I don’t think there’s a little bit of inconsistency, there is no consistency at all.”
In his view, this lack of consistency extends beyond penalties for technical infractions, but instead seeps into other aspects of the sport. “But with many decisions: sporting, legality, driver contacts, there is none.”
“These guys are not good enough. Our stewards, our technical [delegates], they are not good enough. That’s the truth.”
He continued, “They compromise hours and years of work from manufacturers and drivers. I’m not going to the simulator for five days to prepare a race and then get here to be disqualified by a guy who’s never driven a race car in his life. Sorry.”
Da Costa’s confiscated podium finish is a tough blow to Porsche’s hopes of winning the Teams’ Championship. While Porsche finished sans points, rival team Envision extended its championship lead by securing a podium finish. With Jaguar’s Mitch Evans winning the race, Porsche now sits third in the standings.
Featured Image Credit: TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team