After securing a commanding victory on Saturday, Oliver Rowland came agonisingly close to completing a sensational Monaco double during Sunday’s rain-hit Monaco E-Prix. Despite leading for parts of the race and starting from pole position, the Nissan driver had to settle for second place, crossing the line behind Sébastien Buemi.
Though disappointed not to make it two wins in two days, Rowland once again found himself on the podium, solidifying his grip on the championship lead. But the result did not come easily, with rain at the start making the Monte Carlo streets treacherously slippery and forcing drivers to tiptoe around each corner.
A race of fine margins for Rowland
Rowland’s hopes of back-to-back wins took a hit when Jean-Éric Vergne of DS Penske held up the field, disrupting the Nissan driver’s timing for attack mode activation. Falling back in the shuffle, Rowland then attempted a move on Vergne, only to cut the chicane and ultimately relinquish the position.
Speaking to the media, including PitDebrief, after the race, Rowland reflected on the decisive moment. “Honestly, he was kind of trying to slow the race down and back it up a little bit, so I was getting a little bit impatient because I think he knew that I was the only one that hadn’t done my attack mode, so he wanted to keep the pack quite close together.”
He continued, “For me, I was pretty much wheel-to-wheel and I would have been able to make the apex at 11, but at the same time, it’s not easy to get two cars through that, so I kind of understood that they could see it one of two ways.”
Explaining how the situation unfolded, Rowland added, “I looked in my mirrors, and it was just full of cars. One on the inside, one here, one there. I tried a little bit, like I lifted, but I just said no, it’s going to get really messy if I end up giving it back. For me, it’s kind of a racing incident, but I also get both sides.”
Still leading the way in the Monaco E-Prix
Despite the complications in Sunday’s race, Rowland’s weekend overall was a triumph. After a challenging outing in Miami, he returned to form in Monaco, showcasing both pace and resilience.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, coming here, I had a pretty tough weekend in Miami, so I really focused on the sim and with my engineers to kind of go through that and try to understand what happened,“ he told the media.
Although pleased with his form, the Nissan driver was realistic about expectations going forward. “I don’t expect to always be here, so I think that’s quite unrealistic, but if I can keep doing the best job I can, there’s no reason why I can’t keep scoring consistent points.”
The emotional toll of winning a double-header and having to drive again
Rowland also revealed the toll that the Monaco E-Prix double-header took, especially following the high of Saturday’s win, which left little time for celebration before diving straight into race prep for Sunday.
“Weirdly, this morning I woke up in a really bad mood, and I was arguing with everyone in my team before I even went out in free practice,” Rowland admitted.
“I was still annoyed that I didn’t have an answer from the stewards from yesterday on the incidents that we spoke about. I think I was shouting at everybody before I even went out. And I had a bit of an argument with Norman after free practice as well.”
“So I was in a bad mood for some reason, and I wasn’t particularly quick in FP3, but I kind of refocused myself. But honestly, it’s more like just trying to consolidate a good double-header.”
Looking ahead to Tokyo
With another double-header on the horizon in Tokyo, Rowland will be aiming to carry his strong momentum into what will be a critical weekend, not just for him, but for Nissan on home soil.
Having extended his championship lead once again, Rowland may not have completed the double in Monaco, but he remains the driver to beat as Formula E’s most unpredictable season in years rolls on.
