TAG Heuer Porsche’s António Félix Da Costa was fastest in the Formula E FP2 session at the 2024 Portland E-Prix. The Portuguese driver was one of two drivers to get around the track in the 1:18s. Andretti’s Norman Nato finished just 0.126s behind him, and Jaguar TCS Racing’s Nick Cassidy finished in P3. It was a good session for Nissan’s Caio Collet, who was subbed in due to injury — he finished in P5. Just ahead of him was the Andretti of Jake Dennis.
It was a less than smooth session for Sacha Fenestraz. A collision with the wall early in the session seen him stuck in the pits for the rest of the session. It was less than ideal for the Nissan driver heading into Qualifying later in the day.
It was a cooler morning in Portland compared to the first Practice session of the weekend. With the track being the highest speed track on the calendar, the drivers would be trying to keep the tyres up to temperature and keep up the track evolution. Caio Collet, subbed in due to Oliver Rowland’s injury, would be looking to gain as much experience on track as possible.
As it Happened
The first lap logged in the Formula E FP2 session at the 2024 Portland E-Prix was by Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi with a 1:16.80. However, the pace quickly picked up as Buemi embarked on a flying lap, posting a new 1:10.48. He was followed by Maximilian Günther 0.036s behind.
NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes found himself stuck in traffic at the last corner — a problem drivers could continue to face into Qualifying. The Jaguar TCS Racing car of Mitch Evans was another to have another rocky start to the session, running across the grass and landing back on track with a bump. He lost the rear on Turn 10, heading onto the grass and damaging the floor of the car.
Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns was next to post the quickest time, heading into the 1:09s with 1:09.43. He swiftly returned to the pits.
Red Flag
With just under 20 minutes to go, the Nissan of Sacha Fenestraz was off and into the wall at the chicane at Turn 10/11, bringing out the red flag. Luckily, he was able to get the car going and limped back to the pits. Unfortunately for the rest of the grid, the red flag remained as the track was cleared of debris. Even worse for Fenestraz’s teammate, Collet — the rookie was losing valuable track time.
The session resumed with 15 and five minutes remaining. Andretti’s Jake Dennis, keen to put in some solid laps, slotted in P2 with his first flying lap. He posted a 1:09.58 and returned to the pits.
More chaos was to ensue for Jaguar as Nick Cassidy had an off, ending up on the emergency slip road. He got back on track for another crack, while the lap times continued to tumble.
Final Ten Minutes
As the clock ticked down into the final ten minutes of the session, the latest race winner, Da Costa, shot to the top of the table with a 1:08.87. He was followed by Cassidy — on a better lap than the last — +0.229s behind. NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird briefly sat in P3, before he was knocked off by Buemi and then TAG Heuer Porche’s Pascal Wehrlein. The Mahindra Racing of Nyck De Vries appeared to have front wing damage following an off-track excursion.
The second Mahindra of Edoardo Mortara was under investigation for driving too slowly on the racing line. To make matters worse, Günther had a near miss with the Mahindra driver as he tried to pick up a tow down the main straight. Günther almost clipped his front wing on the back of Mortara’s car as he trundled down the track.
Nico Müller neared the 1:08s in the ABT Cupra with just under a minute to go, logging a 1:09.20 with Evans putting in a good lap 0.006s behind.
Fenestraz was in trouble, failing to post a representative lap time due to his crash. The crash also means the French-Argentine driver has a potential penalty incoming for changing parts on the car. His rookie teammate Collet sat in P5 at the chequered flag with an 1:09.10.
Da Costa was the quickest of the session with a 1:08.78, with Andretti’s Norman Nato in P2, 0.0126 behind. Da Costa and Nato were the only drivers to make it into the 1:08s. Cassidy finished the session in P3, followed by Dennis.
Photo credit: Formula E
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