Da Costa triumphs at the Hankook Portland E-Prix in the USA

- In Portland, the Hankook iON Race was into the optimal working window, allowing drivers to exploit the high grip level of the premium tire
- António Félix da Costa was full of praise for the Hankook iON Race, saying tires were well suited to the track and drivers did not experience any major wear in the race
- A new formula E speed record with the Hankook iON Race as the 22 drivers set a new record with the fastest average speed ever recorded in Formula E

Seoul, Korea, July 1, 2024 – The title race is going down to the wire: no driver was able to get their hands on the title at the penultimate double-header of the 2024 Formula E World Championship. Spectators in the busy grandstands at Portland International Raceway in the US state of Oregon witnessed two exciting races, with the lead changing hands on numerous occasions and plenty of strategy in play. With temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius on both days, the field soon brought the Hankook iON Race into the optimal working window, allowing them to exploit the high grip level of the premium tire. After an impressive performance, it was Mitch Evans from the Jaguar TCS Racing team who crossed the finish line first on Saturday. However, the New Zealander was handed a time penalty for his part in a collision early on in the race, which saw him relegated to eighth place. That left António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) the beaming winner. “The tires are very well suited to this track. We were able to push for several laps in a row, which was ideal. We did not experience any major wear in the race, so I was very happy with the performance of the tire,” said the Portuguese, full of praise for the Hankook iON Race. He was followed home in second and third place by Dutchman Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) and Jean-Éric Vergne from France (DS Penske).

Also on Sunday, da Costa won and claimed his twelfth victory in the Formula E World Championship after 27 laps of the 3.190-kilometer circuit. The driver from the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team benefitted again from good energy and tire management. “The Hankook iON Race provided enough grip, even at the end of the race, and helped the drivers go to work out on the track,” said Hankook race engineer Ji Woong Choi. Second place went to Robin Frijns (Envision Racing) ahead of Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing).

As title sponsor of the race weekend in Portland, two Hankook officials also took their place on the podium: on Saturday, Sooil Lee (Vice Chairman & CEO of Hankook Tire & Technology) presented the trophy to the second-placed driver. On Sunday, race winner da Costa received his trophy from Rob Williams (President of Hankook Tire America).

Fourteen races into the season, Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) currently tops the table with 167 points, ahead of Evans and Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team), who both have 155 points. Final stop for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship 2024 is the Hankook London E-Prix in Great Britain on 20th and 21st of July.

The fastest Formula E race ever. In Saturday’s opening race of the double-header, the 22 drivers set a new record with the fastest average speed ever recorded in Formula E. The drivers achieved an average speed of 244.68 km/h on the 3.190-kilometer track at Portland International Raceway.

Unfortunately, the Hankook Portland E-Prix was over for Britain’s Oliver Rowland before he even set off for Portland. Doctors advised him not to fly to the USA for health reasons. As a result, the driver from the Nissan Formula E Team was forced to miss both races in the double-header. This was particularly frustrating for the 31-year-old, who lay fourth on the table with hopes of having a say in the race for the world title. The team’s reserve and simulator driver, Caio Collet from Brazil, took his place in the cockpit in Portland.

Special design for two special races: The American Andretti team nailed its colors to the flag at the Hankook Portland E-Prix. The team added white stars to the blue stripes on its two Porsche, giving the livery a look of the stars and stripes of the USA.

Hankook, the official technical partner and tire supplier of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, released a new AR filter on Instagram ahead of the tire maker’s second event of Season 10 as title sponsor. Users were able to “teleport” themselves into the Hankook booth and the Gen3 cars. Nico Müller from the ABT Cupra Formula E Team showed his sense of humor and posted his version on his Instagram channel: nico.mueller51

Former IndyCar and DTM driver Robert Wickens tested a modified Gen3 car, equipped with the Hankook iON Race of course, at the Hankook Portland E-Prix at Portland International Raceway. This was the Canadian driver’s first outing in a single-seater after suffering a big crash in 2018, since when the 35-year-old has been paralyzed. The Formula E car was specially modified to allow Wickens to drive it using only his hands. He completed eleven full laps, demonstrating the potential for inclusion and technological innovation within the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. After his test drive, Wickens said, “It was only a few laps, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it left me wanting a lot more. Hopefully this will lead to more opportunities in the future and possibly a rookie test. I think right now, that would be the goal for me, to try and get onto the grid in Formula E for the future.”