The third generation Formula E will have, temporarily at least, got the better of the Rome city circuit. After a 2023 edition marked by big accidents, the single-seaters having become too powerful and fast for the track, the FE decided to head 350 km further north to the Misano circuit a stone’s throw from the Adriatic Sea for its Italian round , the first on European soil this year.
Of course, the route is not the classic one of the place which notably hosts the San Marino Grand Prix in MotoGP. But surprisingly (or not if we look at the constraints of the location), it is the most winding part of the circuit, in the first sector, which was skipped to fall to 3.381 km (14 turns). All the long straights are on the program with just the addition of a tight chicane to slow the cars down. As Eugenio Franzetti, director of DS Performance, explains: “Misano is a permanent track with the advantages that this brings in terms of asphalt quality and grip, but the big difficulty will be energy management. It is a fast track where strategy and the ability to manage energy will be fundamental. »
DS-Penske, in fact, will have the mission to bounce back in Italy after a disappointing race in Japan, without the slightest point taken for Jean-Éric Vergne (12th) like Stoffel Vandoorne (16th). Things started rather well as the two drivers took the first two places in the first free practice session on Friday afternoon, the Frenchman ahead of his Belgian teammate. The “cousin” team of Maserati (which uses the same powertrain as another brand of the Stellantis group) arrives with high morale since Maximilian Günther offered the Italian brand (the team flies the Monegasque flag ) his first victory in the discipline in Japan.
Note that since the start of the season five drivers from five different teams have won, with also a first for McLaren with Sam Bird in São Paulo. This round with two races, Saturday (3 p.m. on the Chaîne L’Équipe) and Sunday (3 p.m. on the Chaîne L’Équipe), is a great opportunity to widen the gap in the lead for Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche, leader with 63 points) and Nick Cassidy (Jaguar, 61 points) as for the pursuers to hope to regain power.
