Mattia Casadei secured his first victory of the MotoE season this Saturday in the second race in Portimão. The reigning champion was consistently part of the leading group but only secured the win on the final lap of a race filled with excitement and uncertainty.
Nicholas Spinelli (Tech3 E-racing) had a good start, taking the lead with the holeshot, followed by Héctor Garzó (Dynavolt Intact GP). The Spaniard moved into the lead on the second lap of the race. Casadei (LCR E-Team) was in third, closely followed by his teammate Eric Granado.
At the start of the third lap, Spinelli regained the lead, but shortly after, he received a double Long Lap penalty for a jump start. He did not serve it as he crashed moments later and retired from the race. Garzó reclaimed the lead.
With four laps to go, the race was wide open, with a tight group battling for the top positions. Granado moved into second place with a spectacular pass on Casadei on lap 5 of the seven scheduled.
Óscar Gutiérrez (Axxis-MSI) made an impressive double overtake on the main straight at the beginning of the following lap to move into second, just as Casadei regained position from Granado.
Once again, the fight for the win was uncertain and thrilling until the end. Casadei overtook Gutiérrez and Garzó to take the lead. The reigning champion successfully defended his position until the end to claim victory.
Garzó finished second, with Gutiérrez in third. Granado was fourth, and two-time champion Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar) crossed the line in fifth.
Results: