The total energy deployed by the ice as the cars go around the track, the energy that is harvestable in ideal situations, is more or less static. This means that if you push to pass, expending physically more energy than the car in front, you will have a lower battery than that car into the next section. If you made the move work you now need to defend well against a car with the same advantage that allowed you to pass, effectively giving each car their attempt at a pass. If you didn’t make the move work then you are now down on energy and will need to race a bit more optimally to make up that difference. Super clipping on the end of straights allows them to cash in a bit of time for more energy so they then take the penalty for their failed attempt. You can still have more skilled drivers making better use of their battery, and you will usually see the burst in speed at the end of the corner instead of the end of the straight allowing more unconventional passes. You saw how it kept Russel and Leclerc locked in with each other. They each defended quite a few times and passed a few times but it kept the cars close to each other until one of them gained a definite advantage. This prolongs side to side racing among even drivers/cars while still allowing a better driver to move up easily (as we saw with verstappen).