Antonio Felix da Costa became the sixth different winner in the first six races of the 2024 Formula E championship in the first race in Misano.
In a race dominated by pack racing, Da Costa took the lead late and held it over the final laps to win by under half a second from Oliver Rowland with Jake Dennis securing the final podium position in third.
The relatively long straights of the Misano circuit meant all drivers had to employ heavy energy conservation tactics, leading to the field running almost as a single pack over the opening laps.
Nick Cassidy was forced to pit for repairs following contact through the chicane with Jean-Eric Vergne, before Pascal Wehrlein collided with Vergne on the following lap, breaking his front wing and causing minor damage to Vergne’s DS Penske. Vergne was handed a five second time penalty by the stewards for the collision with Cassidy.
Sam Bird chose to escape the “mess” as he called it by taking the lead, but he fell back into the pack where he eventually suffered a left-rear puncture, which forced him into the pits and out of contention.
In the closing stages of the race, Da Costa held the lead over Rowland and Vergne with the added advantage of having more usable energy than those behind him. Rowland closed up on the Porsche on the final lap but Da Costa took advantage of his slightly more energy to keep the Nissan at bay and take his first win of the season.
Rowland was under a second behind in second place, with Vergne crossing the line in third but losing the podium position to Dennis after his penalty. Maximilian Guenther finished fourth with Dan Ticktum securing his best finish in the championship in fifth.
Mitch Evans finished sixth for Jaguar with Sergio Sette Camara in seventh. Vergne was demoted to eighth after his five second penalty. Norman Nato finished in eighth place, while Stoffel Vandoorne secured the final point in tenth.
Edoardo Mortara was the first retirement after pulling off on the first lap. Cassidy retired despite rejoining the race following repairs, as did Bird. Jehan Daruvala pulled off the circuit on the final lap to be the final retirement.
Rowland now leads the championship with 73 points heading into Sunday’s second race, five ahead of reigning champion Dennis with Wehrlein dropping to third.
2024 Formula E Round 6 Misano – Race results:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Porsche | Antonio Felix da Costa | Porsche 99X Electric Gen3 |
| 2 | 22 | McLaren | Oliver Rowland | Nissan e-4ORCE 04 |
| 3 | 1 | Andretti | Jake Dennis | Porsche 99X… |
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