In the second race of the weekend, Formula E took to the streets of Monaco to compete in another highly competitive battle. Reigning champion Oliver Rowland of Nissan claimed victory ahead of Felipe Drugovich, with Antonio Felix da Costa finishing out the podium.

The race began with Dan Ticktum and Antonio Felix da Costa on the front row, while Rowland started from eighth position and Drugovich from fifth. However, an eventful race quickly created opportunities for overtaking and dramatic position changes.

Unlike Saturday’s race, this one began with drama from the jump as Ticktum, the polesitter, lost his position and Edoardo Mortara took the lead, while da Costa similarly fell down the order quickly. Another difference in this race was that there was no Pit Boost stop for extra power, meaning strategy came primarily from the efficient use of Attack Mode opportunities.

By Lap 4 of 28, penalties had already begun to be handed out, including one to Mortara for causing a collision, while Attack Mode had been initiated early by Nico Müller, allowing him to claim the lead only a couple of laps later and build an advantage of over two seconds.

The race was nothing short of drama, as further penalties, collisions, yellow flags, and even a DNF for Norman Nato ensued before even reaching Lap 10. After activating his Attack Mode, current championship leader Mitch Evans took the lead on Lap 11.

Laps 16 and 17 saw a strong push from Mortara of Mahindra Racing as he moved past Drugovich for second before overtaking Evans to reclaim the lead. A Full Course Yellow was then triggered following a collision at Turn 18 between Nick Cassidy and Josep Maria Martí.

After briefly losing the lead to da Costa, Mortara found himself back in front by Lap 23, with his Attack Mode activated. Rowland, however, followed in third with 30 seconds more Attack Mode time remaining than Mortara. That same lap saw Rowland take the lead over Mortara, even before Mortara’s Attack Mode expired.

By the final lap, Rowland, Mortara, and Drugovich held the podium positions. However, Mortara’s time penalty, given earlier in the race, pushed him down to a fifth place finish.

Rowland remained relatively quiet for much of the race, fighting well without drawing too much attention to himself. Yet, impressive strategy and efficiency allowed the Nissan driver to come out on top in the end. Charging from P8 to victory, Rowland proved that sometimes playing the long game can be the most effective strategy.

Monaco now gears up for another major motorsport weekend in the Principality as the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix de Monaco returns in just a couple of weeks.

See also:

Nyck de Vries claims Monaco Formula E victory in opening race

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Main photo credit: Michaël Alesi / Fréderic Nebinger / Palais Princier