Oliver Rowland claimed his third victory of the 2024/25 Formula E campaign around the iconic streets of Monaco, managing a strategy masterclass from himself and Nissan after starting second.
Although on paper it might have looked a somewhat easy conversion, the reality was a little more complex with some questionable moves from Taylor Barnard (McLaren) ahead, a very different Attack Mode strategy to those around him and suspicious noises and warning lights appearing on his car from the formation lap.
Rowland started Saturday’s Miami E-Prix – the first of two races around the principality this weekend – in second, after a rare mistake during the final stages of the qualifying duels. The Yorkshireman was going up against Barnard, his former karting protege, in the last head-to-head battle to decide pole position.
However, seeing Barnard’s speeds in the prior duels, Rowland knew he needed to deliver an extra special lap to beat the 20-year-old. What followed was a costly mistake as he approached the first corner with too much momentum, whacking his Nissan into the barriers ahead of the climb to Beau Rivage and immediately ruling himself out of the running for pole.
Able to limp back to the pits, Rowland had his car worked on intensely by the Nissan team in the few hours before lights out and was given the ok to start the race. But, on the way to the grid, he was sure something wasn’t right, and radioed the team with his concerns.
“When I set off to the grid I heard a strange noise, like a whining noise on the back,” Rowland explained after the chequered flag. “Obviously I crashed in qualifying, so I reported it and they basically told me, ‘I think you're hearing things’, and I thought… maybe I am?
