Miami ePrix: The Magic City Showing Its Unpredictable Side In All Its Glory

It really seems like someone has sprinkled some magical dust over Formula E in season 11.

After the incredible, best described as magical, start of the season in São Paulo, the race that just happened in Miami, which is also known as "The Magic City", really did live up to its nickname. After some relatively predictable free practice sessions, along came qualifying. 

In a surprising manner, we saw current championship leader Oliver Rowland not make it out of the group stage in group A. 

The same applies to Rowland's former mentee, Taylor Barnard who is on a spectacular run of form. He is currently second in the drivers' championship, and performed really well in the free practice sessions, placing P3 and P1, respectively. This, however, did not translate for qualifying, as we saw him not make it into the duels.

In quite a surprising fashion, German rookie driver David Beckmann, who has yet to score a point this season, made it into the duels for the first time, after placing P13 in both practices.

Then we saw a fascinating battle between season 9 world champion Jake Dennis and season 6 world champion Antonio Felix Da Costa. It looked certain to go in the direction of the Porsche driver. But Dennis snatched the battle win from the Portuguese in the very last bit of the lap! 

To quote Instagram user @lesliekbb who wrote in her story: "A day of firsts", a very fitting description! New track, new challenges, a new shuffle of the grid and with that a new pole sitter in Norman Nato.

The Race

As magic does not always have to be good, we were shown the negative, surprising and unpredictable nature during the race. All went relatively smoothly until Nyck De Vries caused a safety car.  Many drivers lost their remaining 350kw power of attack mode.

Then a three-car accident, which saw cars end up on top of each other, between Cassidy, Günther and Hughes resulted in a safety car deployment and a red flag interruption, which once again saw multiple attack mode activation minutes go to waste. However, this interruption also came with a crucial, deciding factor, namely that multiple drivers were left unable to use up the full time of their remaining attack mode. This ended up resulting in Frenchman Norman Nato finishing the race in first position, but scoring only 11 points for 6th. The reason was a 10-second time penalty given to Nato, but also Bird, Barnard, Frijns and Rowland for their remaining attack mode time.

It was a crazy race!

And to add to that craziness, for the first time ever, we saw a collaboration between Marvel and Formula E in the form of CUPRA KIRO Race Co. running a livery that was Marvel-themed. Specifically, it was Thunderbolts themed. Did this special livery provide the team with special powers to perform unexpectedly well? With the German Beckmann making his first duel entrance and the Brit Dan Ticktum finishing the race in seventh position? Maybe. The red flag certainly came in handy for Ticktum, though, as he was filmed by his team running to the toilet during the red flag interruption. 

But the craziness certainly did not help Beckmann when he had to pit relatively early, while having his attack mode time ticking down, for repairs on the suspension.

The magic city certainly did provide us with its magic. Whether good or bad magic completely depends on who you are talking about. Winner of the first ever race at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, Pascal Wehrlein and his team TAG Heuer Porsche would surely say they were blessed by some good magic with Wehrlein and teammate Da Costa sharing the podium in the end, together with LOLA Yamaha ABT's Lucas Di Grassi. The new team's first Formula E podium ever. But also a lot of bad magic from the magic city with many penalties and losses of podiums and wins. 

Formula E is known for its unpredictability, which makes it so exciting for so many. But this really was on another level of crazy and unpredictable.

The Miami ePrix has once again demonstrated that in Formula E, nothing can be taken for granted. From unexpected losses in qualifying, existing rules and their non-adaptability, to strategic chaos brought on by red flags and safety cars, it was a race where adaptability and luck proved just as valuable as outright speed.

While some teams walked away with historic highs, others were left with amazing results snatched away from them because of questionable regulatory speedbumps. Norman Nato’s demotion from race winner to sixth place due to attack mode penalties underlined just how unforgiving the regulations can be when circumstances conspire against the drivers.

It’s this unique blend of technical complexity, strategic depth, and ever-present unpredictability that gives Formula E its edge. Add to that the vibrant energy of Miami, with its Hollywood-style showmanship and a Marvel-inspired livery on the grid, and you have a race that will be remembered for more than just the points standings.

The collaborative debut between Marvel and Formula E, embodied by CUPRA KIRO's Thunderbolts-themed livery, brought an extra layer of spectacle to an already dramatic weekend. And while the special edition car may not have brought superhero-like results, the team certainly made headlines, whether through Beckmann’s first appearance in the duels or Ticktum’s iconic mid-race dash to the facilities.

As the dust settles on a truly chaotic weekend in The Magic City, one thing is clear: the 2025 Formula E season is shaping up to be exciting. With new contenders emerging and seasoned champions under pressure, fans can look forward to more surprises as the championship unfolds.

If São Paulo set the tone and Miami turned the volume up, what on Earth is waiting for us in the next round?

Stay tuned — the magic clearly isn’t over yet.

Next Formula E races: Monaco, 3 & 4 May