Having given his all last Sunday to clear the way for Mitch Evans, António Félix da Costa at least allowed Jaguar to clinch the team title after a hard-fought race. The Portuguese driver, however, felt compelled to explain his strategy.
First of all, congratulations on winning the team championship for the second consecutive season. Today, you were involved in many battles, particularly with Pascal Wehrlein; can you describe them from your perspective?
Well, we knew what we had to achieve today to reach our goal, and that was to beat both Porsches on the track. We knew that if we did that, we could bring the championship home. I didn’t like what they did yesterday, to be honest. It made me angry. But fair enough, they gave themselves the freedom to play those games. And when I saw today that they were doing the same thing again from the first lap, we had to deploy our Plan B and play their game. We just did it better, harder, and I was able to achieve what we set out to achieve.
We saw Pascal approach you at the end of the race. Were you able to talk to him? What happened?
I didn’t speak to him. That said, I want to congratulate him on his drivers’ title. There’s no doubt he’s a very, very good driver. But you reap what you sow, don’t you? So honestly, Porsche or Pascal have absolutely no right to say anything. Nothing at all. They started it, they’re the ones who did it. In Tokyo, he took me off the track, and I don’t even want to go back that far. But just yesterday, they launched these tactics, and we were just playing their game. So they have no right to complain. He had his allies on the track, drivers from other teams. You shouldn’t blame the players, but the game. We played by the rules they taught us. I heard he said some bad things, but I couldn’t care less. I’ll sleep very well tonight, knowing who I am and what I do for a living. My conscience is completely clear.
And what do you think of your season?
Honestly, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved this season. Joining a new team is very difficult, and to do it the way we did, starting off on the right foot… The pace was there from day one. I think we topped the very first qualifying group we did together, so that was very motivating. It motivated me, and I think it motivated the whole team to give it their all for this car and this season. We gave it everything. Mitch and I did a great job together, we collaborated really well, and I’m very proud of that. Obviously, I’m disappointed that my personal chances of a world title are over, but Mitch (Evans) was still in the running, and I tried to pull off this miracle for him too. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. Many things were beyond my control; I can easily see 30 or 40 points that were taken away from us, but that’s the world of sports. I can’t control everything, only what I do and the commitment I give to this team, and that’s what I will continue to do.
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Interview by Valentin Glo, in London.