Oliver Rowland and the Nissan team were unaware of the unfortunate fate that awaited them in the second race of the Misano E-Prix. A simple software error led Rowland down a disastrous path towards energy depletion, leaving him with no chance of securing a second consecutive victory. Despite taking the lead from Pascal Wehrlein with six laps remaining, Rowland’s final slowdown revealed that his team was unaware of the imminent energy crisis they were facing.
Nissan team boss Tommaso Volpe expressed frustration with the error, acknowledging that a small procedure at the start of the race was overlooked due to time constraints. This negligence compromised their entire strategy and ultimately led to their downfall.
The issue on the grid, to which Volpe referred, was later confirmed as a parameter error in the software that required manual reboot. This setback affected their usual operations and contributed to the problems they encountered towards the end of the race.
Rowland himself had concerns about thermal limitations in the final stages of the race. He believed that Pascal could not use his energy due to the risk of battery overheating. However, this assumption turned out to be incorrect, leading to a false reading and a devastating result for Rowland and his team.
When questioning his team about what had happened, their response was filled with uncertainty. They were unable to explain the sudden energy depletion, leaving Rowland in a state of shock and disappointment.
Meanwhile, Porsche capitalized on the situation, maintaining focus and composure. Wehrlein, with the guidance of his new engineer, successfully defended his position and became the first driver to secure two victories in the 2024 season.
Wehrlein a admis qu’au début, il n’était pas sûr si l’énergie de Rowland était vraiment épuisée, mais les informations de son équipe se sont avérées correctes. En fin de compte, la décision de Wehrlein d’économiser de l’énergie a payé, lui assurant la victoire.
Le patron de Porsche Formula E, Florian Modlinger, s’est dit satisfait des performances de l’équipe, notant qu’ils n’avaient pas de problèmes de température avec leur système de stockage d’énergie. Malgré la surprise face au changement soudain des niveaux d’énergie, ils ont géré la course de manière efficace, aboutissant finalement à une victoire méritée pour Wehrlein.
Dans l’ensemble, ce fut un résultat décevant pour Rowland et Nissan, car une simple erreur de logiciel leur a coûté une victoire potentielle. Cependant, Wehrlein et Porsche sont sortis victorieux, montrant leur capacité stratégique et leur capacité à s’adapter à des circonstances imprévues.