Miami E-Prix: Wehrlein wins from stewards’ room after chaotic restart and Attack Mode confusion
Pascal Wehrlein was handed victory in a dramatic and controversial Miami E-Prix, following a chaotic late-race restart and a flurry of post-race penalties for drivers who failed to deactivate Attack Mode in time.
The Formula E World Champion initially crossed the line behind Norman Nato, who had overtaken him during a frantic four-lap shootout after a red flag. However, the Nissan driver — along with several others — was penalised for still having Attack Mode active at the chequered flag, promoting Wehrlein to the win from the stewards’ room.
Race of twists and turns
The race was shaping up for a strong Tag Heuer Porsche 1-2 with Antonio Felix da Costa leading and Wehrlein second, until a crash at the 8-9 chicane involving Jake Hughes, Sebastien Buemi and Max Guenther forced a red flag. A standing restart followed, setting up a dramatic four-lap sprint to the finish.
As drivers scrambled to take remaining Attack Modes — mandatory to activate but with strict usage regulations — confusion erupted. Nato passed Wehrlein and crossed the line first, seemingly securing victory. However, race control launched immediate investigations into multiple drivers for Attack Mode infringements, including Nato, Frijns, Rowland and Barnard.
Post-race chaos
The final classification was quickly reshuffled:
• Wehrlein was confirmed as the winner
• Lucas di Grassi took second, giving Lola-Yamaha-ABT their first-ever Formula E podium
• Da Costa salvaged third, despite dropping down the order in the restart chaos
• Nico Mueller took fourth — a personal best for Andretti
• Edoardo Mortara finished fifth for Mahindra
• Nato, having led over the line, was relegated to sixth
Further back, Dan Ticktum’s energy-conservation strategy saw him finish seventh, ahead of Robin Frijns, Jake Dennis, and Zane Maloney, who secured his first Formula E points in tenth for Lola.
A spotlight on Attack Mode rules
The controversy has reignited calls to review Formula E’s Attack Mode regulations, particularly around its usage in shortened races and restarts.
“We had the pace and the plan,” said a disappointed Nato in the Nissan garage. “But we’ve lost the win in the stewards’ room. That’s hard to accept.”
The result gives Wehrlein a crucial win in the title race, especially as championship rivals Rowland and Barnard lost ground after finishing outside the points post-penalties.
Formula E’s signature unpredictability delivered once again — but questions will now be asked about whether clarity and consistency around race procedure are keeping up with the sport’s ambitions.
