FE | Misano 1: Da Costa wins again, Rowland and Dennis on the podium

Just like Portland last season, Misano also proved to be an unpredictable and difficult race to decipher, with the group opening up only in the final laps, when Antonio Felix da Costa and Oliver Rowland attempted to escape, opening the gap on the pursuers.

In a race where efficiency and track position were the elements that could really make the difference, it was essential for the drivers to be able to stay in the leading positions but without using too much energy. From this point of view, Da Costa proved to be an excellent interpreter of the situation, knowing how to manage the most delicate moments in which it was important not only to stay in the group, saving on battery, but also understanding what the right moment was to attack and attempt to escape. .

As could have been imagined on the eve given the nature of the track, the first twenty laps were study laps, with continuous overtaking and position changes to get back into the leading group but without taking the lead. The wake effect on a circuit like Misano represents an important element and Da Costa was able to make the most of it.

After sailing around the top five for a good part of the race despite a less than exciting qualifying, the Portuguese driver from Porsche made the decisive breakthrough with about three laps to go when he still had 2% more energy than his rivals, climbing in the lead and taking that position that he didn't leave until the checkered flag.

Only Rowland managed to keep up, even if that half-second gap accumulated later proved decisive. Although there is disappointment at having lost the victory to the British driver from Nissan, it is still a prestigious result, also because it represents the fourth podium in a row.

Jake Dennis concluded the podium with a comeback race, after a disappointing qualifying in which he had paid for a contact with the barriers which forced him to start from the back rows of the grid. For the British driver from Andretti, this podium also represents a great opportunity to recover points in the standings from Pascal Wehrlein and Nick Cassidy, who both ended up at the back of the group after damaging their front wings during the first laps of the race.

The one who has some regrets, however, is Jean-Eric Vergne, who originally finished in third place just ahead of Dennis: the Frenchman from DS, however, had to serve a five-second penalty due to a contact with Cassidy. Having served the penalty, Vergne then finished in eighth position: tomorrow there will be the opportunity to redeem himself given the excellent performances shown up to this point of the weekend, even if the shortened two-lap race will present new challenges.

Maximilian Gunther, Maserati Racing, Maserati Tipo Folgore, Norman Nato, Andretti Global, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Jake Dennis, Andretti Global, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Mitch Evans, Jaguar Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6

Photo by: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

Good result also for Maserati, finishing fourth with Max Gunther, who confirms the excellent state of form placing his Tipo Folgore in the top five ahead of an excellent Dan Ticktum, fifth. For ERT, the first stage in Misano represents a small success, because it was able to bring both cars into the points zone, gaining fundamental points from a world ranking perspective. The two riders were able to read the race well, remaining in the group for a long time: the advantage gained in terms of energy then allowed them to make the difference in the final laps, moving up the rankings. The poleman of this race, Mitch Evans, placed between the two ERT cars.

The top ten is completed by Norman Nato and the other DS, that of Stoffel Vandoorne, who was also able to recover some positions after a qualifying in which he was eliminated in the groups. Just outside the points was the other Nissan, that of Sacha Fenestraz, who preceded the two ABT Cupras of Lucas di Grassi and Nico Mueller: after starting from fifth place, the Swiss also suffered a contact which damaged its front wing, sliding back into the group.