The picturesque rolling hills and tranquil seaside resort atmosphere in which the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is located could not have contrasted more with the chaotic on-track action that Formula E provided on its first visit to the Adriatic coast. A post-race disqualification for the opening race winner five hours after the chequered flag; another driver losing a seemingly certain win on the final lap in the sequel; and a frenetic, even manic, style of racing that divided opinion – the Misano E-Prix double-header had it all.
After seven races, and approaching the halfway point of the campaign, Pascal Wehrlein became the first driver this season to claim two victories and, with it, just holds onto the lead of the championship standings on countback. The Porsche driver’s outright success in the second of the weekend’s two races had looked incredibly unlikely as the contest entered the 26th and final lap, with Wehrlein 1.4 seconds behind the Nissan of race leader Oliver Rowland. The pair had pulled clear of the chasing pack over the last five laps after Rowland took the lead from Wehrlein into the Turn 5 left-hander during a race which, by comparison to the day before, was much more structured.
Even so, the long straights and wide, fast corners offered by the Misano circuit meant a level of pack racing previously only seen on the same scale at Portland last year, with drivers drastically lifting-and-coasting in order
