Formula E, Shanghai, 2nd race on 26/5/2024: da Costa wins second race of the season

After Wehrlein was overtaken shortly before the finish line the day before, his teammate Felix Da Costa made it to the top of the podium on the second race day. Second place went to Jake Hughes of NEOM McLaren and third place was claimed by Norman Nato of Andretti, also with Porsche power.

The second race was clearer than the first: after superior energy management and driving performance, Da Costa took the lead from Nato in the 16th lap and maintained his position until the end of the 28-lap race, despite a late charge from Hughes. Hughes, who secured the Julius Baer Pole Position earlier in the day by only 0.001 seconds, achieved second place on his first Formula E podium amidst tough competition.

Jaguar and Porsche also scored points in the second race in China – as did DS and McLaren

Nato finished the race in third place, followed by Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) in fourth place after a collision damaged his front wing. Cassidy's closest title rival and Da Costa's teammate Pascal Wehrlein suffered a setback with a flat tire and finished the race outside the points.

Abt Cupra had a tougher time on Sunday compared to Saturday

It was again difficult for Abt Cupra: the turbulent Saturday race was decided only in the last laps. Nico Müller and Lucas di Grassi drove a strategy-focused race, concentrating mainly on saving energy for the final sprint in the first half. During this time, di Grassi managed to get from last place to tenth. Nico Müller even stayed in the top ten for a long time with a promising energy reserve, but then dropped back to 15th place after an unavoidable collision.

The race on Sunday, under temperatures of over 30 degrees and high humidity, turned into a real heat battle. This particularly affected Abt Cupra: Lucas di Grassi had to make a pit stop to clear his cooler intake of car parts. Nico Müller's path from 17th on the grid to the top ten also ended prematurely when grass from the track limits clogged his cooling system, leaving him to struggle in the last third of the race.