UPDATE: TAG Heuer Porsche's Antonio Felix da Costa has been disqualified from the Misano E-Prix Round 6 as the throttle damper spring on Car #13 was not found in conformity with one of three optional declared items. As a result, the cars beneath da Costa in the original race classification move up a slot, meaning Nissan's Oliver Rowland inherits the race win. Read the full story
Da Costa qualified 13th and timed his push to perfection to take the race lead for the definitive time with three laps to go, from form man Oliver Rowland (Nissan). From there, he was able to hold off the advances of Rowland to the chequered flag while reigning champion Jake Dennis (Andretti) clambered from a lowly 17th on the grid to complete the podium.
RESULTS: The full 2024 Misano E-Prix Round 6 classification
As early as Lap 5, da Costa had made his way through the tightest of packs - all 22 cars split by less than five seconds for much of the encounter - to the podium positions, trailing teammate Wehrlein on Lap 5.
At a circuit like Misano, energy was always set to be at the forefront of drivers' and engineers' minds with cars starting the encounter with between 60 and 70% of the usable energy needed to finish the race - the rest recovered by regenerative braking. The race lead is the least efficient place to be, with the car in P1 the first to punch a hole in the air and those behind profiting in terms of efficiency in the slipstream.
The concertinaing field always looked like it would catch drivers out, with five wide through Turn 1 ultimately proving too much to handle with an early leader in Sam Bird (NEOM McLaren), Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Wehrlein among those suffering damage - race-ending damage for the former pair.
With eight laps remaining, da Costa inherited the lead again but Rowland wouldn't lie down - the Nissan driver jumping the Porsche on Lap 23 for P1. From there, the race was a straight contest to the finish with drivers bolting for the chequered flag - energy calculations measured to the tenth of a percentage point opening up a flat-out finish. On the outside of Turn 5, with three laps to go, da Costa swooped by Rowland for first while Jean-Eric Vergne (DS PENSKE), Dennis and Maximilan Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) battled in behind.
Pressure on Vergne from Dennis with two laps to go meant da Costa and Rowland could make a break for it - the pair suddenly finding themselves 1.5 seconds clear. Dennis did pip Vergne at the flag but it was da Costa who led Rowland home for his first win of the season. That made it six winners from the opening six races of Season 10, with five teams and four powertrains also represented on the top step of the podium.
Da Costa has been a man under pressure in recent weeks, and it was a stunning riposte - the second time he's won from outside the top 10 while driving for Porsche after his Cape Town victory from 11th last year.
Four podiums in-a-row for Rowland, and the standings lead, means he and Nissan will head into race two with the target on their backs.
Guenther followed the top three home, with the next standout result of the day being Dan Ticktum's rise from 15th to fifth for ERT. To double the delight for the Anglo-Chinese outfit, Ticktum's teammate Sergio Sette Camara was able to bring the sister car home in seventh spot - Evans' Jaguar the filling in the ERT sandwich in sixth.
Vergne wound up eighth, with Norman Nato (Nissan) and Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) rounding out the top 10.
A record nine different race leaders - Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing), Robin Frijns (Envision Racing), Vergne, da Costa, Bird, Vandoorne, Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan), Evans and Rowland - summed this one up. As did the total competitive overtakes figure - another record, at 544 on top of the 18 lead changes at lap end.
All that left Rowland top of the tree on 78 points in the Drivers' standings, five points ahead of Dennis, with non-scorer Wehrlein - who finished the race 17th after that contact - now third in the table another five points back. Jaguar TCS Racing head Porsche in the Teams' running 111 points to 108.
Round 7 follows tomorrow, 14 April in Misano at 15:00 local time.