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António Félix da
Costa took part in the third round of the Formula Renault Northern European Cup,
held this weekend in the Finnish track of Alastaro, adding another podium finish
to his growing collection.
In the first
qualifying session, even if he had set the 4th fastest time, António was
relegated to 9th position on the starting grid because there were yellow flags
on the track at the time he made his fastest lap. In the second session,
however, the Portuguese rookie put in a very fast lap, and was rewarded with a
front row spot, less than 0.3s from pole.
On the first race of
the weekend, António had an excellent start, moving up 4 places going into the
first corner, and completing the first lap in 4th position. Unfortunately, due
to inexperience, the Portuguese let his car roll slightly before the red lights
went on and received a stop and go penalty, finishing in 14th
place.
In the second race,
António Félix da Costa had a great start from 2nd place on the grid and went
into the first corner slightly ahead of the up to then unbeatable Valtteri
Bottas. The two team mates fought through the first corners and António had to
settle for 2nd place, keeping this position until the end of the
race.
According to the
young Portuguese driver: “It was unfortunate to get that penalty in the
first race, as I felt capable of fighting for the first place. I’m getting
closer to Bottas all the time. Considering this is his 2nd year I am still doing
my first races, I have to be very satisfied with my results so far and very
optimistic for the upcoming races. We had another great podium finish in the
second race and I leave Alastaro in 3rd place in the overall
standings and as best rookie.”
The next Formula
Renault NEC event takes place in Oschersleben, Germany, on July 5th and 6th, and
António Félix da Costa will be back in action with his sights set on
2nd place in the Championship.
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