The Porsche driver hit the front three laps from home in the 28-lap race after passing Rowland into Turn 5 – a move that proved pivotal as he took his first win since Cape Town last season by less than half a second.
The first-ever Formula E race at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli proved to be as hectic as anticipated, with drivers not wanting to lead on the long straights and countless overtakes the order of the day.
Immediately from the start the theme of the race became clear as Envision’s Sebastien Buemi from eighth moved into the lead halfway around the opening lap, as almost half the field led at some stage.
The close racing inevitably had its casualties, which turned out to be crucial in the championship battle as standings leader Pascal Wehrlein and Nick Cassidy had to pit for new front wings.
Cassidy was forced to pit on lap six after making contact with Jean-Eric Vergne through the Turn 8/9 chicane, with the DS Penske driver handed a five-second penalty to his race time.
Vergne was in the wars again the following lap as Wehrlein made contact with the rear of the Frenchman's car through Turn 5, although this time Vergne was blameless.
Similar to his race-winning strategy in Sao Paulo, Sam Bird was the first driver to take both his Attack Mode activations by lap eight and moved to the front before the halfway point before the Briton noticeably upped the pace.
But his charge came to an end eight laps later, when the McLaren driver suffered a left-rear puncture having dropped into the pack. He rejoined before ultimately retiring before the end of the race.
Source: Autosport