Written by Vyas Ponnuri
In an unfortunate development, Porsche's Antonio Felix Da Costa has been stripped of his Misano E Prix victory, after a post-race inspection revealed his throttle damper spring not being in conformity with the regulations.
Having taken his first race victory of the season, and his first since the Cape Town E Prix last February, a post-race inspection revealed that the Portuguese racer's throttle damper setting had failed to conform to one of three optional items declared by Gen3 throttle manufacturer Spark in their document.
The FIA released a statement regarding the matter, which conveyed:
"At post-race scrutineering, the Throttle Damper Spring mounted in car 13 during the race was not found in conformity with one of the three optional items declared in the GEN3 Spark Catalogue.
"The team manager and the representative of the manufacturer explained that since the beginning of season 9 they have not changed the Throttle Damper Spring.
"The team manager accepted that the sealed part, as shown in the attachment of the Technical Report 13 was mounted in car 13 and was sealed in the presence of the chief mechanic of the team.
"The team manager stated also that on the Spark list (pedals) the sealed part is not listed. He explained that normally changes of the Spark catalogue are highlighted so everybody can see the changes, but not the removements.
"The FIA Technical Delegate confirmed this procedure.
"The representatives of Spark confirmed that this part was listed on the part list of the Gen2 cars, but not on the current Gen3 car. "They also confirmed that the removal of parts from that catalogue are not highlighted nor cancelled."
The disqualification comes on the heels of a tough year for Da Costa, with rumours of Porsche looking to bring onboard current ABT racer Nico Muller in place of the season six champion for 2025.
The one-time champion has experienced a tough start to the season, outscored by teammate Pascal Wehrlein right from the beginning of season nine, and with Wehrlein on the front foot right from the get-go on season 10, all eyes were on Da Costa to see if he could match his illustrious, championship-contending teammate.
Da Costa held the record of outscoring Wehrlein at every new location Formula E visited in 2023, and continued his streak in Tokyo and Misano, before his disqualification stripped him of victory on Italian soil.
Sadly, Da Costa failed to notch up a point until his sixth place finish at Sao Paulo, and backed it up with a fourth position finish at the inaugural Tokyo E Prix. With his victory at Misano, Da Costa spoke of firmly putting himself in the championship fight, as his campaign appeared to have been building momentum.
However, the disqualification puts him back to square one, and after Porsche have decided to contest the appeal, it leaves them with 96 hours to decide on pursuing this matter further, and look to get Da Costa's victory reinstated.
The disqualification for Da Costa hands the victory to Nissan's Oliver Rowland, who currently sits in the lead of the standings. His first win since the 2020 Berlin E Prix, it has been a long time coming, and highlights the rich vein of form the Briton finds himself in, ever since he left Mahindra midway through season nine.
Refreshed and rejuvenated, it's his best result of the season, and the best of four consecutive podium finishes the man from Barnsley boasts of so far. Firmly in the championship fight, Rowland will be looking to go for the ultimate spoils this season, and bring Nissan their maiden Formula E championship, reaffirming the commitment the team have made to the series.
As for Da Costa, the beauty of a double-header means it gives him another go at a race victory, and a shot at redemption before leaving Misano. There is no doubt he will be raring to go for glory, and do keep your eyes on the Portuguese racer on Sunday, who will be looking to put on a show and repeat his heroics from Saturday (albeit without the disqualification).
Updated classification after Da Costa's disqualification:
Oliver Rowland (Nissan)
Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E Team)
Max Gunther (Maserati)
Dan Ticktum (ERT Formula E Team)
Mitch Evans (Jaguar)
Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske)
Norman Nato (Andretti Formula E Team)
Stoffel Vandoorne (DS Penske)
Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan)
Lucas Di Grassi (ABT Cupra)