Oliver Rowland described his Race 2 victory at the 2026 Monaco E-Prix as a “really special feeling” after the Nissan Formula E driver claimed his first win of the season.
The reigning champion produced a patient and measured drive around the streets of Monte Carlo before attacking in the closing stages. Rowland moved into the lead on Lap 23 and held on to take victory ahead of Felipe Drugovich and António Félix da Costa, who completed the podium after Edoardo Mortara received a penalty.
Speaking in the post-race press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Rowland said winning in Monaco carried extra meaning.
“I think it’s every driver’s dream to win in Monaco. I managed it in F2, again last year. We won’t know if it’s ever going to happen again, but yeah, really, really special feeling.”
“I think the way the race was as well, I had to be patient and then kind of attack towards the end was really, really nice.”
Rowland calls victory “classic me”
Rowland had to manage the race carefully as different ATTACK MODE strategies played out around him. Nico Müller made an early move with ATTACK MODE on Lap 5, while the race order continued to shift as drivers committed to their power boost windows.
The Nissan driver stayed disciplined through the energy-saving phase before using his late advantage to move forward. Asked whether the win felt like a classic Rowland performance, he agreed.
“I guess. I mean, I think it was good because, you know, I had to be disciplined in terms of the energy. There were a lot of people attacking from very early on, but I think what was a bit better with that race is because they were faster, it caused a bit less carnage, so it’s actually a bit safer to be where I was.”
“So in the end, it kind of was a little bit easier, but I would say, yeah, classic me.”
Race unfolds differently to expectations
After a chaotic Race 1 in Monaco, Rowland admitted Race 2 did not play out in the way he had expected. Dan Ticktum started from pole for the second race in a row, while da Costa lined up alongside him on the front row. Ticktum led at the start, but the race changed quickly after early contact sent da Costa down the order before he recovered later in the afternoon.
Rowland said the early ATTACK MODE decisions forced the rest of the pack to adapt.
“It was not the race I expected, to be honest. We had to adapt to it. I mean, I think Müller took the attack line on Lap 3 or 4. He took six minutes, which was a huge shock. I thought, ‘You’re going to be pretty lonely out there at some point at the front.'”
“And yeah, the problem is he kind of broke the tow, so then second had no choice but to kind of push back towards him. They couldn’t slow the race down too much.”
“But yeah, I think it was quite a nice race, but I think if the leaders did the race again, they’d probably do the same.”
Rowland explains Nissan strategy calls
Rowland has often taken an active role in strategy from inside the cockpit, and he again had a clear understanding of the plan in Monaco. However, he said the team mainly kept him informed rather than overloading him with instructions.
“We have a plan in terms of, you know, rough targets and laps that we want to get to. Obviously, the length of the saving phase was increased because of the pace, but I was kind of just sticking to my numbers really, and there wasn’t too much chat on what we were doing.”
“They were keeping me informed. I was up on energy, and I knew that the targets we were at, it was going to be possible to pass in ATTACK MODE. The first two minutes was my choice because I didn’t lose a position to take ATTACK MODE, which I thought was quite important, just to get two out of the way and have the advantage of six with the better energy.”
“And then, yeah, they told me to go straight in after the Full Course Yellow, which was a bit of both.”
That decision helped Rowland emerge in position to attack when the race resumed. After the Full Course Yellow period ended, he used ATTACK MODE to take control before resisting pressure in the closing laps.
Rowland wants more qualifying pace in title fight
The win moved Rowland back into serious championship contention with seven races remaining. However, despite the strength of his race craft, he said Nissan still needs more pace in qualifying if he wants to defend his title.
“I just need a little bit more pace, if I’m honest, in qualifying. I’m just missing a little bit of feeling and a bit of confidence.”
“I would say that my first half of the season, I’ve been kind of scraping results, but I think if I really want to fight for it, I need to have a bit more pace to rely less on my racing, which is something I’ve been working on.
“This weekend was okay. We were on the edge to go through in the duels. Yesterday, I made a mistake in the last corner, and today we just scraped through, but we kind of have to really focus on 300, and then 350s have been compromised.”
“So I think if I can qualify at the front and stay a little bit out of trouble, that’ll help us, especially when we go to like Tokyo, London.”
Monaco win boosts Rowland’s campaign
Rowland’s Monaco E-Prix Race 2 victory came at a crucial point in the season. After a difficult opening half by his own standards, the reigning champion delivered one of his strongest drives of the year at a circuit where patience and execution often decide the result.
The Nissan driver did not dominate from the front. Instead, he trusted his energy numbers, stayed out of trouble and struck when the race came towards him. For Rowland, that made the victory feel familiar and potentially significant for the title fight still ahead.
