Winners and losers: Miami E-Prix
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- Apr 16
- 9 min read
Updated: May 28
Written by Vyas Ponnuri and Elodie O’Callaghan
A crazy and chaotic Miami E-Prix resulted in several drivers receiving post-race penalties, opening the door for surprising results. Who fared the best on Formula E’s return to Sunshine State, and whose weekend proved forgettable? Elodie and Vyas take you through five winners and losers from the Miami E-Prix.
Winners: Porsche
Porsche’s race was nearly inch-perfect. The German outfit’s two drivers, António Félix da Costa and Pascal Wehrlein started third and ninth respectively, but quickly made their way up the field.
Da Costa overtook Jake Dennis for second on the start and held position as his teammate methodically made his way to the front, and the two then positioned themselves well to control the race.
The two were at the front by lap fifteen, and following a brief safety car the pair took Attack Mode on lap 21. The advantage gained from Attack would quickly be neutralised, though, as a red flag was deployed after a pileup at the back straight chicane.
Whilst the pair lost any advantage Attack Mode would provide, they still occupied the front row for the subsequent standing start, and were in prime position with just a handful of laps to run.
The Porsche pair were one of the only teams whose drivers did not require Attack Mode following the red flag. Most teams were anxious as they were not sure if they could make it to the end having used the full duration of Attack. If not, they would receive a major time penalty.
On the subsequent restart, Wehrlein still had Attack Mode, though it would run out before the race ended. Da Costa had no attack remaining, Wehrlein used the extra power and four-wheel drive to sail past his teammate, while da Costa got swallowed up by all the drivers with extra power.
Wehrlein’s Attack ended before the end of the race, though the drivers behind him were not as fortunate. Norman Nato had Attack when Wehrlein didn’t, and passed him just before the line to take the win on the road. However, as he had Attack Mode activated as the race finished, he was hit with a 10-second penalty, as was a large portion of the grid.
This penalty promoted Wehrlein up to the win. Penalties for those many drivers promoted da Costa to third and a podium, despite crossing the line in seventh. Porsche were fortunate with the red flags, but their pace was evident all weekend, proving to be deserving victors in Miami.
Losers: Jaguar
Jaguar’s season leading up to Miami had been a tale of extremes. They took a triumphant win with Mitch Evans in the season opener in Sao Paulo, but in the races following, the Kiwi had a torrid time of it. Two DNFs and a P19 finish meant he hadn’t scored a single point since that season-opening win going into Miami.
Nick Cassidy’s season had been even more difficult, he similarly had only one points finish in four races, a fifth place finish in Jeddah. The Jaguar team desperately needed a pick-me-up in the Sunshine State if they were to turn around their season. However, it would not be so simple, unfortunately.
The two cars had little to no pace in qualifying, both failing to make the duels. Cassidy and Evans would start the race in 13th and 14th respectively. The race would prove no respite amidst Jaguar’s struggles in 2025. Mitch Evans was caught up in the pileup at the chicane that brought out the red flag.
He was the third car on the scene following contact between Max Guenther and Jake Hughes and the New Zealand driver had nowhere to go. He sustained severe, though not terminal, damage. He would make the restart following the red flag, but finished in a lowly 16th.
Teammate Cassidy’s fortunes were no better. The red flag meant he was one of the drivers caught with extra Attack Mode at the end of the race, and though he crossed the line in eighth, the subsequent 10-second penalty dropped him down to 15th and ended any hopes of points in Miami for the British manufacturer.
Winner: Lucas di Grassi
If a feel-good story could ever be drawn from the Miami E-Prix weekend, it would be Lucas di Grassi taking Lola ABT Yamaha’s maiden podium. The Brazilian, popularly known as Mr Formula E for his experience and street smartness, made use of all his years of racing experience to keep his nose clean around the Homestead-Miami raceway.
On a day of attrition, when drivers and teams kept getting entangled in crashes or struggled to complete their eight minutes of attack mode, di Grassi kept calm, managing his race pace and his positions on the racetrack.
Taking four minutes of attack mode meant he was left to take his final four minutes after the chaotic restart, meaning he would be able to complete his eight minutes of attack mode before the end of the race. The Lola racer capitalised on the extra power to surpass a powerless Edoardo Mortara and da Costa.
Once those with attack mode fell by the wayside, di Grassi claimed his spot on the podium, splitting the two Porsche cars. It was no fluke podium, as the Brazilian said, evidenced by strong pace in FP2, a duels slot in qualifying, and consistent running during the race.
It was even more consequential in the Lola ABT Yamaha story, given their recent commitment to continue working together into the Gen4 era.
Losers: Jake Hughes
Coming off a stellar Jeddah weekend, the Stellantis teams expected to carry on their brilliant form into the Miami weekend. However, none of the quartet of cars run by the conglomerate made it to the points.
However, it was a weekend of horror for the Maserati of Jake Hughes. Coming into the weekend off a podium in Jeddah, Hughes and Maserati would have eyed carrying their form into the States. Having finished 14th in both free practice sessions, the Briton was disappointed to qualify dead last on the grid for the Miami E-Prix.
Running a solid 11th in the race, Hughes was punted into the turn 10/11 chicane on lap 21 by Max Günther’s DS Penske, with a chain reaction that also caught out Mitch Evans’ Jaguar. The DS Penske was lodged onto Hughes’ Maserati, with a red flag drawn to clear the mess, and lift the stricken Maserati out of the race.
A difficult way to cap off a disappointing outing, which saw Maserati themselves leave Miami with no points, looking forward to their home event in Monaco for greater success.
Winner: Nico Müller
Another driver capitalising on the late drama to take his first big finish of the season was Andretti man Nico Müller, who finished just shy of a maiden podium for his new team, in fourth.
Müller had made his way to the front of the field from 18th on the grid, having taken his first attack mode for four minutes earlier in the race. He briefly led the race on lap 14, before losing out to da Costa and Mortara after his attack mode ran out.
However, the Andretti man capitalised on opportunities ahead, taking advantage of those with attack mode penalties ahead to move up the order. Another driver with only four minutes of attack mode left, the Swiss racer was able to complete his eight minutes before the flag dropped.
Having taken only two points earlier this year, this fourth aided in growing Müller’s confidence, as he continues to get to grips with the Andretti machine at his disposal.
Losers: Taylor Barnard
Taylor Barnard has been one of the stars of Season 11. With three podiums in the first four races, the 20-year-old rookie has been breaking records and proving the doubters wrong. On the heels of a double podium in Jeddah, hopes were high that he could finally challenge for that elusive win in Miami.
In qualifying, those hopes sadly took a hit, as his McLaren only had the pace for 11th, missing out on the duels by less than a tenth of a second.
In the race, he showed some pace, occupying a spot in the top ten early. However, he was among the many drivers that were caught out by the late red flag, and he would not be able to make it to the end of the race having used all eight minutes of Attack Mode. He crossed the line in ninth place, but the 10-second penalty demoted him to a disappointing 20th place.
On this result, Barnard stated: “It was quite a difficult race for us as a team. Both Sam and I were in good positions at one point, but we were unable to hold them until the end of the race. Unfortunately, that’s the way some of these races go – there’s always ups and downs. We’ll regroup, review and come back stronger in the next race in Monaco.”
Winner: Edoardo Mortara
It was an excellent day for Mortara and Mahindra out in the Sunshine State, with the Swiss racer and teammate Nyck de Vries spending much of the 26-lap race in the points.
While de Vries experienced an off mid-race, losing vital ground, Mortara kept it on the track, tiptoeing around and making places on those who were yet to take their attack mode.
The Mahindra racer sat third behind the two Porsche cars of Wehrlein and da Costa. Taking his final six minutes of attack mode at the same juncture as the Portuguese racer ahead, Mortara’s charge would be interrupted when the red flag was called out on lap 21 to clear the stricken Maserati of Jake Hughes at the turns 10/11 chicane.
While he would run out of attack mode, Mortara would be grateful to have taken his six minutes of attack mode earlier than most. Despite losing ground to those who took their attack mode after the restart, the Mahindra man minimised the damage, only losing ground to di Grassi and Müller in the official classification.
It only showed how confident Mahindra had grown as a unit, given their progress at the end of season 10 into season 11, and fourth would only go a long way in helping Fred Bertrand’s outfit chase after big results into the peak of the season.
Losers: Jean-Éric Vergne
Jean-Éric Vergne’s season has gotten off to a quiet, albeit solid start. The only two-time Formula E champion had not yet won a race going into Miami, but he was looking to finally compete near the front along with teammate Max Guenther.
In qualifying, the showing was nothing short of abysmal, and Vergne only managed 17th. In the race, he delivered a respectable recovery drive, making his way up to ninth.
Through this, he got his elbows out, including heavy contact with Nico Müller at the back straight chicane. However, both drivers escaped without damage and Vergne was then positioned well for another good points finish.
Unfortunately, the late interruptions in the race saw the Frenchman slide down the order, as chaos over the attack modes, and hard racing in the final laps saw him come home in 12th place, a disappointing finish for a team that expects so much more.
Winner: Norman Nato
Norman Nato was the shock of the weekend. Nato’s season had gotten off to a difficult start, with pointless finishes in each of the first four races. This was all while his Nissan teammate, Oliver Rowland, was taking wins and leading the championship.
Nato had been completely anonymous, unable to net the points in the same manner as his championship-leading teammate. However, the balance of power within the Nissan team turned on its head in Miami.
In qualifying, Rowland could only put his car 16th, failing to reach the duels. Nato not only made the duels, but went on to take pole position. The three points for pole were his first of the season.
In the race, he had incredible pace, but bad luck with red flags meant he was not able to finish having used the entirety of the eight minutes of Attack Mode required, and whilst he finished first on the road, a 10-second penalty dropped him down to sixth place.
Regardless, leaving Miami with 11 points on the board, and proving he can have race-winning pace in the process, will be a huge boost for the French driver.
Losers: Oliver Rowland
You often don’t find Oliver Rowland in this section of our piece. But such was the grid order at the Miami E-Prix, the Nissan man and runner-up in the standings, Taylor Barnard found themselves on the wrong end of Saturday.
A disastrous qualifying left the championship leader down in 16th, failing to make the duels for the first time in 2025. Conversely, teammate Norman Nato took pole, showcasing the speed and pace Nissan had around Homestead.
With the grid even closer than ever, Rowland’s charge was stemmed, as he couldn’t make much headway in the 26-lap race. Taking attack mode at the end helped him make up valuable ground, as he eventually finished fourth at the flag. However, the same penalty that befell several others for not completing their allocated attack mode hurt Rowland too, putting him out of the points.
It was only a penalty for tenth-placed Zane Maloney, which put the Barbadian racer out of the points, allowing Rowland to leave Miami with a single point. Despite his best efforts, the Briton unfortunately finds himself in the losers' column for this weekend.
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