Antonio Felix Da Costa: “I have a long-standing relationship with this multi-energy partner”

You were born in Cascais, Portugal, near Estoril and its legendary racetrack. Is that where your passion for motorsports comes from?

No, I don’t think so. Growing up near Estoril certainly contributed to my interest in motorsports, but it’s mainly because of—or thanks to—my two older brothers, who were into motocross and karting. My family also worked for a lubricant brand that was very involved in motorsports… So I started karting before I turned ten, first in Portugal, then in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Do you know how many different racing suits you have in your closet?

Um… I’d say about thirty. I’ve kept them all! I’ve raced for so many different brands and teams in so many championships. My first factory contract dates back to my karting days with Tony Kart.

At 34, you’re a very experienced driver and one of the most versatile on the international stage.

After karting, I moved on to single-seaters, from Formula Renault all the way to the brink of F1, then to DTM, GT, Formula E, WEC… I’m a huge fan of race cars of all kinds. One day, Helmut Marko told me, “You’re a race car driver; you should be racing every weekend.” And I took his words to heart. Just last week, I drove three different race cars in the same week. I love that versatility.

If you had to pick two or three highlights from your career, what would they be?

Of course, my double victory in Macau in F3 (2012, 2016), my Formula E world championship title in 2020, and my victory at Le Mans in 2022 in the LMP2 class. But to be honest, the most difficult moments are the ones that really shape your life and your career. Some of them were decisive in my changes, my improvements, my direction, and so on. I’m not someone who looks back too much, and I try not to look too far ahead. I prefer to live in the moment.

You mentioned your victory at Le Mans in 2022 with Jota. The following year, you made your Hypercar debut in the FIA WEC with that same privateer team. Tell us about the FIA World Endurance Championship.

I love endurance racing. The first time I went to an endurance race, I thought to myself, “How am I going to survive this?” I was racing in the DTM at the time; races lasted an hour and a half at most, so how was I supposed to last 24 hours? I fell in love with the sport—the camaraderie, the brotherhood, the team spirit... I fully embraced Endurance racing, starting with the GT class, then moving on to LMP2 prototypes, and finally to Hypercars. I’ve enjoyed every step of the way: in GT, you get overtaken by the prototypes. In LMP2, you can pass the GTs, but you have to keep an eye on the Hypercars. And in Hypercar, it’s up to you to push yourself to the limit! More seriously, my experience in the lower categories helps me anticipate what the cars I’m about to pass are going to do.

You’re back in the top tier this year with the Alpine Endurance Team. What does this brand mean to you?

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of representing many prestigious brands—Porsche, BMW, DS, Jaguar… Alpine is a brand that embodies the heritage, history, and culture of motorsports. Alpine is a perfect fit for my personality. I’m a bit of an old-school guy, and Alpine is an old-school brand—in the best sense of the word—a historic brand that communicates through motorsports and puts technology at the service of driving pleasure.

And with the Alpine Endurance Team, you’re back in the colors of ELF, a TotalEnergies brand that has been with you for much of your career.

In the mid-2010s, Total sponsored the Red Bull Junior Team. In 2020, I was still wearing Total’s colors when I won the Formula E world title with DS Techeetah. And this year, ELF is a partner of the Alpine Endurance Team. I have a long-standing relationship with this multi-energy partner. I even witnessed the birth of TotalEnergies when the brand began its commitment to electric mobility in Formula E. I’ve shared some great moments with the marketing and operations teams at TotalEnergies. So wearing the ELF colors this year is a source of great pride.

ELF, Alpine, the 24 Hours of Le Mans… It’s going to be very “French” for you in a month!

It’s going to be very emotional, for several reasons. First of all, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for French brands is going to be very special. We’ll have thousands of fans cheering us on. And then this will be Alpine’s final 24 Hours of Le Mans, so it’s up to us to make this team and its boss, Philippe Sinault, proud. I have a long history with Philippe. Our paths first crossed back in the F3 days, and my manager, Tiago Monteiro, is a very good friend of Philippe’s. I’m so happy to be driving for him.

What are your goals for this season in the FIA WEC?

My goal is always to win, no matter the race. In endurance racing, we face incredible competition with about fifteen prototypes capable of taking the top spot in every race. Alpine has proven it can win. We finished fourth at Imola and 12^th at Spa-Francorchamps after a small mistake on the track, so I hope we’ll have the best season possible and, why not, make it onto the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And I’m also doing a few stints for the Inter Europol Competition team in the LMP2 class in the American IMSA championship. We finished second at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Motorsport has changed since you entered the international scene about fifteen years ago, and you’ve witnessed this evolution firsthand in Formula E and the FIA WEC. What is your vision for motorsport?

The world is moving toward decarbonization, and motorsport is naturally following this trend. Formula E has been highly innovative and continues to be so with the next generation of electric cars, Gen 4, which promises to be incredible. The WEC championship has always had a spirit of innovation to reduce its environmental impact through concrete actions such as the use of TotalEnergies Excellium sustainable fuel, for example, and to encourage the development of new technologies like hybridization and hydrogen… We see that Formula 1 is also making this shift, and that it’s not easy. We must do everything we can to ensure that motorsport endures and to take care of our planet.