12/04/2025 21:20
Pascal Wehrlein claimed a confusing victory in Formula E's Miami
E-Prix, as a late red flag caused chaos in the United States. Five
drivers received 10-second time penalties after the race for not
using all of their attack modes, including Norman Nato who had
crossed the line as the provisional race winner. Wehrlein
inherited the win ahead of Lucas di Grassi, marking Lola ABT's
first podium in FE. Antonio Felix da Costa completed the podium.
Nico Müller and Edoardo Mortara completed the top five, with Nato
having been demoted to sixth in one of the most confusing races in
FE history. Energy saving priority All 22 drivers made a smooth
start at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, with most drivers having
remained almost where they started. Polesitter Norman Nato kept
the lead in the opening laps, as all the drivers settled into an
extreme energy-saving race. Antonio Felix Da Costa, Nyck de Vries
and both Envisions completed the top five. Minimal overtakes took
place in the opening quarter of the race, with everyone having been
against taking a risk. Sebastien Buemi was the first to activate
attack mode on lap nine which helped him navigate his way towards
the front. It triggered several others to take their first attack
mode, yet Nato remained in the lead. At the halfway stage, de
Vries took the lead whilst using attack mode but opted against
building a gap. The mid-race point marked the start of chaos, as
the order began to change completely. Several drivers who had been
at the back suddenly flew towards the front, with Pascal Wehrlein
having taken the lead in a Porsche one-two. Lucas di Grassi was in
a shock third. Positions changed quicker than the mind could
think, until misery struck de Vries on lap 18 who ground to a halt.
It triggered a bizarre two-lap safety car, as he managed to restart
his car. When the safety car ended, it remained a Porsche one-two,
with the top five being completed by Di Grassi, Frijns and Mortara.
Crucially, championship leader Oliver Rowland was in 19th. To
protect a lack of energy for Wehrlein, the Porsches swapped
positions, with da Costa having been in an incredible position. Da
Costa took his final attack mode on lap 20 and quickly started to
escape; however, bad luck struck Porsche once again. Red flag chaos
A sudden three-car crash between Jake Hughes, Maximilian Günther
and an unlucky Mitch Evans at the chicane caused a red flag, with
Hughes' car having been stricken in the middle of the circuit.
Hughes retired as a result, whilst Günther and Evans continued,
despite the DS Penske driver having bizarrely reversed into the
Jaguar driver. 25 minutes later, once the clean-up had been
completed, the race restarted with a four-lap sprint. However,
there was huge concern for several drivers who had six minutes of
attack mode remaining, with it having been in the air whether it
could all be taken before the finish. A standing start restarted
the race, with Da Costa at the front of the pack ahead of his
team-mate. Da Costa made the best start whilst Mortara overtook
Wehrlein for second, as almost half the field entered the attack
mode detection loops. However, Mortara was quickly overtaken by
Wehrlein in attack mode, with the German having set his sights on
his team-mate. It was easy pickings for Wehrlein and Frijns, who
moved into the top two. Da Costa tumbled down to sixth, but several
drivers ahead were set to be penalised due to having not finished
their final attack mode. That included Nato, who overtook Wehrlein
to win the race on the road by just one-tenth of a second. It was
the same for Frijns who finished in third, having not finished his
attack mode. It meant Wehrlein did claim the race win, ahead of Di
Grassi and Da Costa. Several drivers were placed under
investigation, including championship leader Rowland. Frijns, both
McLarens and both Nissans received 10-second time penalties.
