Cape Town hosted its first ever Formula E race on Saturday afternoon with Antonio Felix Da Costa claiming the inaugural victory.
Green Point was abuzz all week long ahead of the EPrix on Saturday afternoon.
The street circuit offers one of the most beautiful sceneries imaginable with backdrops including Table Mountain, Signal Hill and the Cape Town Stadium.
Adding to the Monaco similarities, the track required extreme concentration given its intricate nature, with the tight track offering very little overtaking opportunity.
The race was due for 30 laps but was extended by two laps at the very end due to an incident early on in the race.
And that incident involved none other than championship leader Pascal Wehrlein after qualifying lower down the pecking order.
In an attempt to gain back some positions, the German locked up and drove right into the back of Sebastian Buemi – ending his race and any hope of extending his lead in the standings.
Jean Eric-Vergne held the lead of the race for the majority of the duration before a brilliant overtake by Da Costa down one of the few straights earned him his first win of the season.
The 2016 Formula E champion was emotional following his hard-fought victory.
“I have got tears in my eyes, it has been hard, thank you to my TAG Heuer Porsche team,” he said on the team radio.
It is a consecutive podium finish for Da Costa, who finished third at the Indian E Prix last time out.
With 25 points from the Cape Town triumph, the 31-year-old finds himself in fourth place on the drivers standings.
Next up for Formula E is a trip to Sao Paulo for the Brazilian EPrix on 25 March.
Overall, South Africa’s first taste of motorsport action since the late 1990s was extremely successful ahead of a possible return for Formula 1 to the Kyalami Circuit.
Pictured above: Antonio Felix Da Costa celebrating
Image source: @CatoNetworks
