Antonio Felix da Costa has given up on F1
Not retained by Red Bull to start in F1 this year, Antonio Felix da Costa has kept the support of Red Bull - of which he is the reserve driver - but the Portuguese knows that his chances of reaching F1 one day are slim and he prefers to focus on other categories.
A few months ago, Antonio Felix da Costa seemed to be the next member of the Red Bull young driver program to enter Formula 1. But the Portuguese driver has since seen Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen overtake him.
The former Formula Renault 3.5 driver has turned to DTM, still with the support of Red Bull, and he wants to focus on this category from now on, as he told Speek Week: « At the beginning of the season, I still hoped to be in Formula 1. But even though I’m only 23 years old, and it’s a bit young to give up on a dream, I’ve decided what to focus on, and it’s DTM. »
I really appreciate the DTM and from the beginning, it went well, so I decided to focus on it. If I could spend ten years here, I would be delighted. That’s my goal.
In addition to the DTM, Antonio Felix da Costa will also be racing this year and early 2015 in the new Formula E championship for the Japanese team Amlin Aguri, even though he missed the first round in Beijing because he was competing in the DTM that weekend.
The Portuguese also welcomed the arrival of Verstappen in F1 in 2015: Max is a very very good driver, and I couldn’t do at 16 what he has managed to do. He clearly has a special talent.
The Lisbon native also commented on another member of the Red Bull program, Carlos Sainz Jr, whom he hopes to see in F1 one day: « At the same time, I feel sorry for Carlos Sainz Jr. He was helped by Red Bull, they invested heavily in him, and he is now ready to be promoted to the top class. I hope he gets a chance and that we will see Max and Carlos on the grid next year. »
