Photo: BMW Press Club

António Da Costa satisfied with progress in the DTM

António Félix Da Costa joined BMW Motorsport last year for his debut in the DTM, becoming part of Team MTEK. This season, the Portuguese was moved to the prestigious Team Schnitzer, alongside Martin Tomczyk.

BMW Motorsport has struggled this season, first by having problems with the tyres, but then with a general lack of speed in their M4 DTM. The Bavarian manufacturer enjoyed a dominant weekend in Zandvoort, but the Red Bull Ring saw them back down the order.

Da Costa was the top scoring man for BMW in Zandvoort, achieving his first DTM career win on Sunday’s race. At Race 2 on the Red Bull Ring, he was again the highest-placed driver at the wheel of the M4 DTM, scoring a point after Timo Scheider’s exclusion.

“This weekend has been very difficult for us”, Da Costa told TouringCarTimes. “Today, under the rain, we thought we could minimise the difference with our rivals. But, after qualifying, it was clear that only a Safety Car could help us to get a better result.”

The number 13 driver was the very last to complete his obligatory pit stop. “We waited to see if there could be a Safety Car, so we left it until the last moment. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen. We made progress in the race, but wasn’t just enough.”

Da Costa has also completed in the maiden Formula E season, achieving a victory in Berlin. For two races in a row, he has been the best BMW on Sunday’s DTM race. Asked whether he had a better grip on the longer races than his team-mates, the Portuguese replied: “I think I’m becoming a better driver, and I’m definitely a lot more complete than a year ago. I have learnt a lot from my team-mates, but also by being part of a very professional team such as Schnitzer.  Now I’m confident in my own decisions, so I hope to continue going forward from here and become stronger.”

António Félix Da Costa is tenth in the Drivers’ standings, and third of the BMW drivers, with 44 points.