The reigning Formula E champion, Oliver Rowland, delivered a resilient performance with his Nissan, at the São Paulo E-Prix, fighting back from a three-place grid penalty to secure second place and valuable championship points.
Oliver Rowland began the 2025 Formula E season from 13th on the grid after serving a three-place penalty carried over from last season’s London round. Despite the setback, the Nissan driver managed to fight his way through the field and ultimately claimed the podium in second place behind Jake Dennis.
Speaking after the Formula E São Paulo E-Prix, Rowland acknowledged that his starting position made his result all the more satisfying. “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting it,” he said. “I think from there on the grid, qualifying was probably not quite as good as we expected. But yeah, in the race, we managed to be efficient in the beginning and quickly make our way towards the front.”
However, Rowland was candid about the unpredictable nature of the race itself. “At some points, I thought I was in the position to win the race. And then all of a sudden, two laps later, I found myself back in eighth. So the race was like yo-yoing up and down massively. It must have been pretty good to watch from the outside.”
The reigning champion gave credit to his team’s tactical execution and a degree of fortune with the race’s numerous safety car periods. “We managed to stay in there. We got a little bit lucky, I think, with the last full-course yellow and safety car, obviously, because a few people had a bit more of an advantage on the time remaining on the attack mode. But yeah, we put ourselves in the fight and we got some good points.”
The Attack Mode miscalculation
When asked whether the red flag was responsible for his missed opportunity to win, Rowland provided some clarification on what he’d observed during the race. “Yeah, well, honestly, I think I was aiming more for top five or six. But I guess if the full-course yellow would have come like 30, 40 seconds earlier, then it could have been different. Honestly, I think our deserved position was top five. But we ended up getting a bit fortunate with seconds.”
He elaborated on the moment when he briefly believed victory was within reach. “When I first took my attack mode, I was in the lead by two, three seconds. And I was thinking, oh, wow, this looks amazing. My energy was good. And then when mine ran out and the others came, they came much quicker than I anticipated. So that’s what I meant.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the Formula E season
With the competitive field now visible after the opening race, Rowland offered a measured assessment of Nissan’s prospects for the championship. “I think it’s going to be super close. I think we’ve still got areas that we’re working on and actually coming into this weekend haven’t worked as well as we may have hoped. So we need to keep working on some performance items, particularly in 300. And yeah, I think we’re going to be there, thereabouts. But it’s going to be about being perfect and picking up points today.”
The second-place finish provides a strong foundation as the season continues, though Rowland’s comments suggest there is still work to be done if Nissan are to compete for the championship once more.
