The 5th round of the Formula E in Cape Town delivered all-round excellence
History was made on the 25th of February 2023 when Cape Town hosted the 5th round of the 9th season of the Formula E race. It was non-stop action both on and off the track with provision for everyone to enjoy. Whether you were fortunate enough to have gotten yourself grandstand tickets, fan village access, and surrounding activities (i.e. EFestElectric) or you were catching the action through broadcast channels, you were treated to some great entertainment that the Mother City in South Africa could offer.
The race itself (including the free practice and qualifying rounds) provided some high adrenalin action. The level of competition was very high, with very little separating the teams and drivers.
Unfortunately for South African fans, Kelvin van der Linde was not a part of the final race line-up since team Mahindra and ABT Cupra withdrew four of their four vehicles due to safety issues with the rear suspension. The car's damage from a qualifying collision prevented Sam Bird of Jaguar from starting as well.
Nonetheless, the final of the Cape Town E-Prix gave some exciting racing in the over 2.8 km, 12-turn street-racing track.
Antonio Felix da Costa of Porsche won the inaugural Cape Town race with some risky overtaking, followed by Jean-Eric Vergne of DS Penske in second and Nick Cassidy of Envision Racing settled for third.
More than 20 000 spectators took in the action from the stands, which served as a positive advertisement for South African tourism and the country's contribution to the green economy.
