Da Costa wins the Misano E-Prix for Porsche

António Félix da Costa achieved a victory for Porsche in Formula E's first visit to Misano. The event, which took place on April 13, 2024, marked the sixth round of the season, notable for featuring six different winners in the first six races.

Da Costa, starting from thirteenth position, executed a flawless strategy, overtaking Nissan's Oliver Rowland in the final three laps to take the definitive lead. Meanwhile, Jake Dennis, the current champion and driver for Andretti, moved up from seventeenth place to complete the podium.

From the fifth lap, da Costa demonstrated his skill by quickly advancing in a compact group where all 22 cars were separated by less than five seconds. The Portuguese driver positioned himself among the leaders, right behind his teammate, Wehrlein.

In Misano, energy management was crucial, with cars starting the race with between 60% and 70% of usable energy, and the rest was recovered through regenerative braking. Driving in first position is less efficient due to aerodynamic drag, while cars in later positions benefit from efficiency in the slipstream.

During the race, several drivers faced difficulties, especially in the first turn, where driving five cars abreast proved problematic. Sam Bird from NEOM McLaren and Nick Cassidy from Jaguar TCS Racing suffered damages that forced them to retire, while Wehrlein also encountered problems.

With eight laps remaining, da Costa took the lead again, although Rowland did not give up easily and briefly regained the lead on lap 23. However, da Costa retook the first position and, together with Rowland, managed to distance themselves from the group. Dennis eventually overtook Jean-Eric Vergne to secure third place.

With this result, da Costa secured his first win of the season, marking the second time he has won a race for Porsche starting outside the top ten, following his victory in Cape Town the previous year from the eleventh position. Rowland, with four consecutive podiums, is positioned as the leader in the drivers' standings.

The next race will be held tomorrow, April 14, in Misano at 15:00 local time.