Formula E returns to Italy for rounds 6 and 7 of the World Championship. And, for the first time, it won’t be Rome that hosts the Italian E-Prix – which will be held at Misano Adriatico, a venue already being used by MotoGP and WorldSBK.
Choosing Misano
After racing at Rome’s Eur street track for five years, the pinnacle of electric motorsport has chosen to move to a permanent circuit. With Vallelunga being discarded, Formula E opted for the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, featuring an all-new layout of 14 corners and 3.381 kilometers long.
Last summer’s decision to switch to a different venue came as a surprise, considering how well received the Rome E-Prix had been from a logistical standpoint over the years. Sponsorship reasons and the layout being deemed unsafe for Gen3 cars were the factors that led to this change.
The stories ahead of the weekend
Formula E heads at the Misano rounds with five winners in the first five races: Pascal Wehrlein – currently leading the championship for Porsche with 63 points – Jake Dennis, Nick Cassidy, Sam Bird and Maximilian Günther. That also makes it four different powertrains in the top-5.
At their home race, Maserati will look to build upon Max Günther’s extraordinary win in the Tokyo E-Prix. On the other side of the garage, Jehan Daruvala certainly aims at improving his position in the standings, still chasing a first point-scoring finish.
Third in the championship, with three podiums and two pole positions to his name, Nissan’s Oliver Rowland is the true surprise of the season. The British driver will seek to take it one step further and claim his first win of the year.
Misano will also be hosting the first rookie testing session of 2024. Among the entries we find Tim Tramnitz, who’s currently racing in Formula 3 and will be testing for ABT Cupra, as well as Formula 2 drivers Zane Maloney – championship leader in the series – and Taylor Barnard, testing with Andretti and McLaren respectively.
The long-awaited introduction of the attack charge – a mandatory pit stop for recharge – seems destined to be postponed once again, after initial claims of it being set to debut in Misano. The start of Formula E’s first-ever support series, the NXT Gen Cup, has also been delayed after its first appearance being scheduled in Romagna.
Original article (Italian) – Luca Benedettucci
Translation – Claudio Scalia
