Oliver Rowland cemented his status as the man to beat in the Formula E World Championship, claiming a stunning victory in Race 1 of the Monaco E-Prix despite early car concerns and a qualifying session mishap.
The Nissan Formula E driver has now won an impressive 50% of races this season, taking his third victory in six rounds on the iconic streets of Monte Carlo. Rowland’s win didn’t come without drama, as he recovered from hitting the wall during the qualifying final against rookie Taylor Barnard.
A kiss with the wall diminishes Rowland’s’ hope for pole
Rowland’s day began with a strong performance in Group A qualifying, setting a benchmark 1:28.713 that was only marginally beaten by Dan Ticktum in Group B. The British driver then dispatched reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein in the quarter-finals before eliminating Jake Dennis in the semis.
However, disaster struck in the final showdown against Barnard when Rowland hit the wall exiting Sainte Devote, allowing the McLaren rookie to take pole position. It was a moment that could have derailed his weekend, but instead set up an extraordinary comeback story.
Early Race 1 concerns during the Monaco E-Prix
As Rowland lined up second on the grid, there were already signs that all might not be well with his Nissan. In the post-race press conference, Rowland revealed the full extent of his concerns. “When I set off to the grid I heard like a strange noise, like a whining noise at the back,” he admitted.
“Obviously I’d crashed in qualifying, so I reported that, and then they were like, I think you’re hearing things, they basically told me, and I was like, maybe I am. But then I noticed it straight away, even whilst I was driving, I could hear some strange noise in the back.”
“After about 10 laps I had like a gearbox temperature alarm, so yeah, in the beginning it was just like flashing on and off, and then at the end it was fully on, so I clearly had some sort of issue that was probably due to my crash in qualifying.”
Despite the mysterious noise and temperature warnings, Rowland insisted it didn’t affect his driving performance. The Brit insisted, “No, no, no, just a strange noise, I don’t know if it got hot or what, but yeah, I guess we’ll see in the first race analysis.”
A strategic decision boosted Rowland’s performance
After falling behind rookie pole-sitter Barnard at the start, Rowland bided his time before launching an aggressive move that sent the younger driver off track. Though Barnard initially held the lead, Rowland soon made another successful challenge, forcing the McLaren driver to relinquish the position.
The strategic battle intensified as the pit window opened, with Rowland executing a perfectly timed pit boost on Lap 18. The championship leader demonstrated exceptional racecraft, managing his energy reserves while positioning himself for a late charge.
The most tense moment came in the closing stages of Race 1 in Monaco, when Rowland deployed his final ATTACK MODE. Reflecting on this critical decision, Rowland was candid about his frustrations.
“Well, honestly, when I got back to fifth, I was really angry,” he said. “I don’t know if you were listening to my radio, but I was pretty stressed out at that point, and I was shouting at my engineer, because I kind of wanted to go two laps before, or a lap before, which I wouldn’t have lost a position, but then I ended up dropping back to fifth, and I think at the time I had two Andrettis and two Mahindras.”
“So I was like, oh, they might play the game to slow me down and let them two get ahead, but luckily, I managed to make quite quick work of them, and I was a bit worried that I wasn’t going to be able to pass with the 350 and the high targets, but in the end it was okay.”
Rowland applied lessons Miami taught him
Rowland’s concerns about leaving ATTACK MODE deployment late into Race 1 were understandable given his experience in Miami, where his race unravelled. When asked if there was anything in the back of his mind about the risk of leaving the ATTACK MODE so late, Rowland was clear, “For me, yes, that’s why I wanted to go earlier, but for the team they seemed pretty relaxed.”
“I think they were probably calculating average safety car times, and the four minutes at the end, they probably had it a little bit more under control, but I was a little bit concerned, let’s say.”
This time, the strategy paid off brilliantly. Rowland surged through the field with his late power boost, quickly dispatching rivals to reclaim the lead. In the final laps, he managed a comfortable gap to second-placed Nyck de Vries, cruising to victory, during Monaco E-Prix Race 1, despite the gearbox temperature concerns.
Rowland still in the lead after Monaco E-Prix Race 1
With his third win of the season, Rowland has strengthened his grip on the championship lead. The British driver’s combination of pace and mental resilience makes him a formidable contender for the title.
“I can’t complain. Yeah, it’s been a great start to the year, I’m in a good place mentally, the team, I’m very confident, the team are giving me, honestly, a really good car, I’m able to be confident most weekends,” Rowland reflected.
“Miami was a bit of an outlier, but I was really determined this weekend to kind of get back to the level that I’d been at the first four races, I think I got a little bit complacent there, but it’s nice to do a good qualifying, be happy during FP1, FP2, and eventually get the win in the race, which was pretty stressful.”
