Antonio Felix da Costa was controversially excluded from victory in the opening Misano race before his team-mate became the first two-time winner of the season
STEFAN MACKLEY
FORMULA E
T he picturesque rolling hills and tranquil seaside resort atmosphere in which the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is located could not have contrasted more with the chaotic on-track action that Formula E provided on its first visit to the Adriatic coast. A post-race disqualification for the opening race winner five hours after the chequered flag; another driver losing a seemingly certain win on the final lap in the sequel; and a frenetic, even manic, style of racing that divided opinion – the Misano E-Prix double-header had it all.
After seven races, and approaching the halfway point of the campaign, Pascal Wehrlein became the first driver this season to claim two victories and, with it, just holds onto the lead of the championship standings on countback. The Porsche driver’s outright success in the second of the weekend’s two races had looked incredibly unlikely as the contest entered the 26th and final lap, with Wehrlein 1.4 seconds behind the Nissan of race leader Oliver Rowland. The pair had pulled clear of the chasing pack over the last five laps after Rowland took the lead from Wehrlein into the Turn 5 left-hander during a race which, by comparison to the day before, was much more structured.
Even so, the long straights and wide, fast corners offered by the Misano circuit meant a level of pack racing previously only seen on the same scale at Portland last year, with drivers drastically lifting-and-coasting in order to drop back into the pack and save energy in the slipstream.
Wehrlein had started third and remained towards the front of the field for much of the race, leading at various points before conceding the top position to Rowland in the closing stages. It was a tactical decision, Wehrlein having been told by his team that he was up on energy compared to Rowland, but he was left to question the strategic call when the Briton began to slowly pull a gap as the race neared its conclusion. “I took over the lead and initially it was the plan to keep the lead, but he was putting a lot of pressure on me and I was sure if I was trying to defend, I would just lose energy,” explained Wehrlein. “So in the end I didn’t defend, I let him through and my team kept telling me I’m 2-3%
