Da Costa: "No complaints" about teammate clash that cost win
Antonio Felix da Costa has "no complaints" about the contact with JOTA teammate Gabriel Aubry that cost him LMP2 victory in Saturday's FIA Bahrain World Endurance Championship finale.
The 2019/20 Formula E champion was pushed off the track in the JOTA Sport Oreca-Gibson 07 he shared with Anthony Davidson and Roberto Gonzalez as he and Aubry battled for the lead with less than 10 minutes of the eight-hour race left to run.
Aubry's JOTA-run Jackie Chan DC Racing entry co-driven by Will Stevens and Ho-Pin Tung made contact with the sister car at T10 behind the pits before the Frenchman cemented the class lead through Turns 11 and 12.
"It was a slightly aggressive move: he saw his opening and used me to make the corner," da Costa told Motorsport.com.
"In the same situation I would probably have done the same, so hats off to him for making the move.
"I wouldn't be a winning racing driver if I was happy to finish second, but I have no complaints with Gabby's move."
"I did close the door, but I guess I should have closed it a bit more."
Aubry explained that he needed to seize his chance after da Costa was baulked by a GTE Am Ferrari.
"When you see an opportunity, you have to go for it because you don't know if you are going to get a second one," he said.
"I think I surprised him by getting past the Ferrari before the corner.
"I could see he was struggling with his tyres, but I knew that at this track it was always going to be hard to get past him."
The two JOTA cars were in contention for the win throughout the Bahrain 8 Hours, battling with the United Autosports Oreca of Paul di Resta, Filipe Albuquerque and Phil Hanson until it was delayed by a fuel pick-up problem in the sixth hour.
Da Costa closed down Aubry through the penultimate stint and then leapfrogged him in the pits at the final stops.
But the Portuguese driver had taken more out of his Goodyear tyres in reducing a gap that stood at just under 10s when he and Aubry took over their respective cars.
"I was in trouble with my tyres, but I knew I would be because my chance was to push hard and get ahead of him when we stopped," explained da Costa.
Related video
Bahrain WEC: Toyota #7 wins race to claim title
WEC title makes up for Le Mans heartbreak - Conway
Five things we learned from Vasseur’s first Ferrari F1 press call
Ferrari has undergone a winter of upheaval ever since it was announced that boss Mattia Binotto was stepping away from the Formula 1 squad.
Live: Watch the first round of WSK Champions Cup
Grand opening of the WSK season for the first round of the WSK Champions Cup from 25 to 29 January at South Garda Karting.
Rolex 24, Hour 12: MSR Acura leads AXR Cadillac at half-distance
Meyer Shank Racing’s Simon Pagenaud led the field as the clock ticked past the halfway mark in the 61st Rolex 24 Hours, with the AXR Cadillac of Alexander Sims, the WTR Acura and the #6 Porsche in hot pursuit.
Rolex 24, Hour 9: Cadillac back in charge, scare for MSR Acura
Chip Ganassi Racing's #01 Cadillac V-LMDh led the Rolex 24 at Daytona at the nine-hour mark, as the Meyer Shank Racing Acura dropped back following a spin for Helio Castroneves.
Why the WEC should make space for modern garagistes in 2023
OPINION: There is plenty of excitement over the glut of manufacturers tackling the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship this season. The selection committee is set to face headaches over who it decides to admit and who gets turned away from the 2023 entry list, but history tells us that the smaller entrants have a place
Motorsport.com writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022.
Is Qatar the price motorsport fans have to pay?
OPINION: Fresh from hosting a controversial 2022 football World Cup, Qatar has added its name to the 2024 World Endurance Championship calendar. Although questions may be asked about its presence on the calendar, is it simply the price to pay for having a healthy racing championship?
How Toyota defeated Alpine for the 2022 WEC title
Toyota #8 trio Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa outscored their rivals in the last season before the World Endurance Championship’s top class gets ultra-competitive. Here's how their Hypercar battle with Alpine and the remaining class tussles played out in LMP2, GTE Pro and GTE Am
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The organisers of the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship worked together to devise the popular new LMDh rule set. But to turn it from an idea into reality, some serious compromises were involved - both from the prospective LMDh entrants and those with existing Le Mans Hypercar projects...
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
The 956 set the bar at the dawn of Group C 40 years ago, and that mark only rose higher through the 1980s, both in the world championship and in the US. It and its successor, the longer-wheelbase 962, are arguably the greatest sportscars of all time.
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
OPINION: While the focus has been on the exciting prospect of Ferrari vs Porsche at the Le Mans 24 Hours next year, BMW’s factory return to endurance racing should not be ignored. It won't be at the French classic next year as it focuses efforts on the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but could be a dark horse in 2024 when it returns to La Sarthe with the crack WRT squad.
The history lessons Peugeot should have learned on its return
The Peugeot 9X8 will make its FIA World Endurance Championship debut at Monza this weekend. The French manufacturer has gone radical and will be hoping it doesn’t need to overhaul its contender, as it did with its first Le Mans challenger…
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.