Formula E Diriyah ePrix II

Rowland: I was doubting myself a lot prior to Formula E podium return

Oliver Rowland admits that he 'was doubting himself a lot the last two years' in Formula E prior to his podium return in the Diriyah E-Prix.

Stefan Mackley

Edited: Jan 28, 2024, 1:31 PM

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Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team, Nissan e-4ORCE 04

The Briton claimed pole position for the second race in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after an impressive qualifying performance, which marked his first time topping the session since Seoul in 2022.

Although he lost out to front-row starter Robin Frijns off the line and also fell behind eventual winner Nick Cassidy, Rowland finished third - having last stood on the podium in Seoul.

Rowland has moved back to Nissan for the 2024 season, having previously spent three years with the team - which included taking his sole Formula E win at Berlin in 2020.

He returned after spending one-and-a-half seasons with Mahindra, mutually leaving the team midway through last term after a lack of results that left him questioning his future in the championship.

“I was doubting myself a lot the last two years and even in the first two races [this season] you have this doubt as well. That’s gone now,” he told Motorsport.com after his Diriyah podium.

Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images

Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team

Rowland entered the Diriyah E-Prix double-header having secured five points finishes around the street circuit in previous years and claimed before the weekend he was “quietly confident that we’re going to be quite good”.

Although he scored his first points of the season in Diriyah, Rowland admitted he felt the win might have been achievable had he got a better launch off the line and been able to control the pace of the race.

“The start kind of let us down because, if we had got into the lead, we could have controlled the race ourselves but unfortunately we were kind of in the middle of the two Jaguar-powered cars and you’re a bit vulnerable then,” he said.

“You’re trying to pass and then you’re trying to defend and, in the end, I probably didn’t quite have the confidence that I had the [energy] efficiency, but it turns out I probably did so I didn’t keep going when they were pushing in the beginning.

“We take it, the qualifying performance was convincing, so we have to take huge confidence from that and keep it going the rest of the year.”

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