Formula E is an unpredictable category, where few details can make the difference, even in whether or not you pass the FIA technical checks at the end of the race. Porsche knows this well and has seen two severe penalties imposed over the last year.
The first in London in 2023, when Da Costa was penalized by three full minutes because the minimum pressure of one of his tires was below the value allowed by the governing body due to a micro-lesion due to contact with another car. The second sanction, however, always saw the same Portuguese driver lose the victory in the first of the two stages at Misano last weekend, thus depriving him of what had been his first success of the season in a very delicate phase of his career.
Da Costa had in fact triumphed by overtaking the Nissan of Oliver Rowland of Nissan with three laps to go, with a mini breakaway which later proved decisive in taking the lead even under the checkered flag. However, in the usual post-race checks, the FIA discovered that a component not permitted by the regulations had been mounted on his single-seater, namely the spring that manages the accelerator pedal.
Antonio Felix da Costa, Porsche
Photo by: Andreas Beil
The element in question had actually previously been used on the Gen2 cars, the previous generation of Formula 3 single-seaters, but had not been included in the Spark catalog for Gen3, i.e. in that list of components that the sole supplier delivers to each team of the grid with the various pieces permitted by the regulations.
In fact, in the catalog that component had been removed, but this had not been highlighted in some way, as happens instead for any changes and replacements, which are instead underlined in yellow, so that a team can notice it.
According to what Motorsport.com learned, the difference between the two springs would be minimal, especially in terms of performance. In fact, at Porsche both drivers were fitted with the same specification, so even Pascal Wehrlein was forced to change the part in question before Sunday's race, which he then skilfully won ahead of Jake Dennis and Nick Cassidy. Although it is difficult to prove, the Stuttgart company is actually convinced that other teams on the grid were also using the same piece.
Furthermore, in reality, Spark itself had supplied some of those components before the start of season nine, as delays were accumulating for the new Gen3 parts. It is no mystery, in fact, that in the first part of the 2022-2023 World Cup, the teams had to share various supplies, with a situation that then only evolved over the course of the season.
Antonio Felix da Costa, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Oliver Rowland, Nissan, Nissan e-4ORCE 04
Photo by: Andreas Beil
Porsche continued to use the Gen2 spring also last season, i.e. in the first year of Gen3, effectively going against the rules. We therefore asked ourselves why Porsche had not been sanctioned before and the very simple answer is that the FIA does not constantly check that specific piece, especially for drivers off the podium.
Immediately after the disqualification, the German team submitted an intention to appeal, thus giving themselves 96 hours to decide whether to pursue the appeal request or not. The same Team Principal, Florian Modlinger, had suggested that Porsche was treated differently from its rivals: “We have a bit of the impression and feeling that not all teams are treated the same, this is our personal impression and with the FIA , a world championship, it must be guaranteed for the future that all teams are treated equally. I think it is a big defeat for us, but also for the sport and Formula E in general, because these consequences [in termini di penalità] They're really heavy.”
Late on Wednesday evening, shortly before the expiration of the four days granted by regulation, Porsche confirmed the decision to appeal: “We can confirm that Porsche has appealed against decision no. 31 of the Stewards relating to the FIA Formula E Misano E-Prix 2024, 13 April 2024,” reads a statement provided by the team.
Porsche had already appealed against Da Costa's penalty in London last year, but in that case it took several months before having a response: the German team, in fact, decided to appeal at the beginning of August 2023, but the response from part of the FIA regarding the case only arrived towards the end of November. In this case it will be important to speed up the process, also because the German brand is also competing for the team and constructors' titles.
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