Nissan Formula E Team and Oliver Rowland: The gamble that made a World Champion

When Oliver Rowland was without a Formula E drive in in the second half of Season 9, lots of people wondered if that was the last we would see of the British driver in the championship. It would be a career that promised so much, displayed Rowland’s incredible natural talent, but only yielded a solitary win.

Therefore, heads were turned when Nissan Formula E Team announced Rowland’s return ahead of Season 10, as he and the squad both looked to re-build their respective journeys in Formula E after two years of struggles.

“The biggest change for me came two years ago when I stopped mid-season,” reflected Rowland in the days after his title triumph. “I got to a point where I wasn’t enjoying it, I’d lost a bit of motivation and I was in a place where I knew I was unlikely to get the results I was looking for. I took a big risk when I made that decision. By taking that punt, it made me realize long-term that I needed to do everything correctly and make the most of the opportunity with Nissan, which was really my last big chance in Formula E.”

Rowland quickly showed his ability upon his return, taking podiums in Diriyah, São Paulo and Tokyo, before securing his second win in the series at Misano. Not helped by illness that saw him miss the double-header in Portland, a challenge for the title was just out of reach for the Barnsley-born driver. Despite that, he closed the season on a high with a victory at the final round in London – a clear statement that would pave the way for Season 11.

“Last year we didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves,” Rowland revealed. “We didn’t have the best car in terms of race efficiency, so we were able to take a learning mentality and use it as a building year. Then it was all about putting together the best possible campaign, understanding what’s required to win in Formula E and learning from past mistakes.”

After a frustrating start to the season in São Paulo, where a penalty for overpower denied Rowland a potential race win, the British driver went on an incredible run, finishing first or second in seven of the following eight races to take a commanding championship lead. Along with his excellent driving, Rowland commends the team for this superb string of results.

“The strongest part of the team is that everyone constantly wants to be better,” he explained. “Feedback is never taken personally, it’s always seen as a positive and a chance to build. There’s a hunger and a desire to improve, we know we can’t win every weekend, but we have a good perspective on what is possible and managing our goals.

“The management of the team believed in me when I returned to Nissan and I always felt I had their backing. Lots of the core engineering team had changed since my first stint with the team, but Tommaso (Volpe) and Dorian (Boisdron) did a great job recruiting people with the right mentality. There are so many 1% factors that we needed to get right, so a huge credit goes to the team for putting everything together and giving me the opportunity to complete the job.”

However, even with such a strong lead in the championship, Rowland knew he had to stay focused. With the unpredictability of Formula E, and the tightness of the field, nothing is ever a guarantee, and Rowland was aware that plenty of hard work still needed to be done. In his previous best finishes in Formula E, in Seasons 6 and 10, Rowland was a front-runner but never really a main character in the championship fight. But with a huge lead in the standings, many suggested the title fight was a foregone conclusion from mid-way through the season.

Rowland added: “I arrived in Formula E with great speed, but never really challenged for the title. I often doubt my ability, arriving to an event thinking that I’m going to have to work really hard to make the most of it. But I knew we had a good team, a good car and the first races of the season allowed me to think that we could fight. My position was the total opposite to previous seasons, instead of chasing the championship leaders, I knew I had a huge advantage and my mind was just telling me not to bottle it. That’s what was in my head, everyone was saying it was a case of when I’d win the title and not if, but it wasn’t like that for me.

“I went to Shanghai and Jakarta feeling that it wasn’t over. Leaving Jakarta, I felt more relaxed, being 69 points ahead of Pascal (Wehrlein). However, one good weekend for him and a bad one for me could really cut the gap down, and nothing is ever guaranteed in Formula E. Starting third on Saturday in Berlin comforted me, but a bad race and a silly mistake from my side while Pascal took a strong finish was disappointing.

“On Sunday before the race I felt weird, I had a lot of nervous energy and things going through my head. I felt like I could’ve cried, there was a huge mix of emotions inside me. I needed to perform, in my mind just to limit the damage to my championship lead with Pascal starting on pole. But in true Formula E style, it swung the opposite way!”

Rowland’s journey in the last two years would be difficult to believe back before he signed for Nissan Formula E Team. It’s also one he’s finding it hard to get his head around.

“I am still processing that I am World Champion - I’ve not had a chance for it to sink in,” he said. “It will eventually. I’ve got a lot of messages to open still! My journey since summer 2023 is a crazy one. I remember struggling to sleep when I didn’t have a contract and I put myself in a difficult position, both for my career and mentally for myself. To recover and be in this position, I feel very fortunate, but those are the challenges and emotions of Formula E.

“Part of me realizes what we’ve achieved and I’m trying to digest it in a positive way and balance my emotions. From a mental health perspective, I feel a lot lighter and that a weight has come off my shoulders. It’s not something us drivers talk about very often, but the last few days have been a huge release of emotion and energy. It feels great. Even now when I watch back videos, I’m struggling to believe it’s done!”

Looking ahead, Rowland will receive a champion’s welcome from his home crowd in London at the finale of Season 11 on 25-27 July. The squad still has Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles to fight for, and Rowland believes there is more that Formula E can offer him.

“The way I see my career finishing is in Formula E,” he added. “Hopefully not too soon, but I want to grow with the championship and see it in a better place when I leave. Our goal is for the series to keep growing, with even faster cars and the most advanced technology. I’m very happy with where I am at now and incredibly proud of the team and what we have accomplished thus far. Nissan has an amazing history in motorsport, but I think that this achievement is right up there. They’ve invested a lot of time, effort and resources into this project, so I’m really pleased, not just for me, but for the entire Nissan family.”