Pascal Wehrlein claimed a confusing victory in Formula E's Miami E-Prix, as a late red flag caused chaos in the United States.
Five drivers received 10-second time penalties after the race for not using all of their attack modes, including Norman Nato who had crossed the line as the provisional race winner.
Wehrlein inherited the win ahead of Lucas di Grassi, marking Lola ABT's first podium in FE. Antonio Felix da Costa completed the podium.
Nico Müller and Edoardo Mortara completed the top five, with Nato having been demoted to sixth in one of the most confusing races in FE history.
Energy saving priority
All 22 drivers made a smooth start at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, with most drivers having remained almost where they started.
Polesitter Norman Nato kept the lead in the opening laps, as all the drivers settled into an extreme energy-saving race. Antonio Felix Da Costa, Nyck de Vries and both Envisions completed the top five.
Minimal overtakes took place in the opening quarter of the race, with everyone having been against taking a risk.
Sebastien Buemi was the first to activate attack mode on lap nine which helped him navigate his way towards the front. It triggered several others to take their first attack mode, yet Nato remained in the lead.
At the halfway stage, de Vries took the lead whilst using attack mode but opted against building a gap. The mid-race point marked the start of chaos, as the order began to change completely.
Several drivers who had been at the back suddenly flew towards the front, with Pascal Wehrlein having taken the lead in a Porsche one-two. Lucas di Grassi was in a shock third.
Positions changed quicker than the mind could think, until misery struck de Vries on lap 18 who ground to a halt. It triggered a bizarre two-lap safety car, as he managed to restart his car.
When the safety car ended, it remained a Porsche one-two, with the top five being completed by Di Grassi, Frijns and Mortara.
Crucially, championship leader Oliver Rowland was in 19th. To protect a lack of energy for Wehrlein, the Porsches swapped positions, with da Costa having been in an incredible position.
Da Costa took his final attack mode on lap 20 and quickly started to escape; however, bad luck struck Porsche once again.
Red flag chaos
A sudden three-car crash between Jake Hughes, Maximilian Günther and an unlucky Mitch Evans at the chicane caused a red flag, with Hughes' car having been stricken in the middle of the circuit.
Hughes retired as a result, whilst Günther and Evans continued, despite the DS Penske driver having bizarrely reversed into the Jaguar driver.
25 minutes later, once the clean-up had been completed, the race restarted with a four-lap sprint. However, there was huge concern for several drivers who had six minutes of attack mode remaining, with it having been in the air whether it could all be taken before the finish.
A standing start restarted the race, with Da Costa at the front of the pack ahead of his team-mate. Da Costa made the best start whilst Mortara overtook Wehrlein for second, as almost half the field entered the attack mode detection loops.
However, Mortara was quickly overtaken by Wehrlein in attack mode, with the German having set his sights on his team-mate. It was easy pickings for Wehrlein and Frijns, who moved into the top two.
Da Costa tumbled down to sixth, but several drivers ahead were set to be penalised due to having not finished their final attack mode.
That included Nato, who overtook Wehrlein to win the race on the road by just one-tenth of a second. It was the same for Frijns who finished in third, having not finished his attack mode.
It meant Wehrlein did claim the race win, ahead of Di Grassi and Da Costa. Several drivers were placed under investigation, including championship leader Rowland.
Frijns, both McLarens and both Nissans received 10-second time penalties.
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