Oliver Rowland enjoyed a dominant run through Season 11 of the fully electric single-seater series, stringing together four wins and seven podiums in the first nine races.
That early momentum allowed him to build a strong lead in the standings which, despite failing to return to the podium over the following seven rounds, was enough to clinch the drivers’ championship during the Berlin double-header in July, ahead of the season finale in London.
As Formula E gets set to launch Season 12 this Saturday in São Paulo, Rowland faces arguably his biggest challenge yet: defending his crown, something only Jean-Eric Vergne has managed in the series by securing back-to-back titles in Seasons 4 and 5.
“It’s going to be a challenge. Of course, it’s going to be difficult,” Rowland told Motorsport.com ahead of the event in Brazil.
Formula E is entering its fourth season with the Gen3 car before the Gen4 arrives next year. With teams and drivers now holding deep knowledge of the current package, Rowland expects the fiercest competition the series has seen.
“I think we’re probably entering the most competitive era of Formula E in terms of depth and strength across all the drivers. So it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m ready for it.”
Rowland faced a stark contrast in results during the second half of the season, but the Briton insists things were not as bad as they may have seemed.
“I think it was a bit of both,” he said when asked whether his late-season dip came from a drop in performance or the pressure of leading the championship with such a big margin.
“Obviously, I was dealing with having a big lead and trying to hold on to it. For sure, I wasn’t at 100% and sometimes I was trying to consolidate.”
“I think a lot of people say we didn’t have a great end to the year, but in Jakarta I finished fifth or sixth. In Shanghai I was fighting for the win in the dry race. In Berlin I qualified third and fifth and won the championship there.”
“Only London, I think, was disappointing for us. We just weren’t fast enough in London. But yeah, it was also a strange emotion – winning the championship and then going back for the final race. But I think we should be OK. I’m quite confident.”
Managing the heat in São Paulo
Looking ahead to this weekend, Rowland highlighted key factors for the São Paulo E-Prix, especially battery management amid the expected high temperatures at the Anhembi Sambadrome street circuit.
“There are always things you want to improve, but I think we’ve made a good step since last year. I think preseason testing in Valencia was really positive for us – there were a lot of good things. But yeah, I think we’re ready, although it can always be tricky here.”
“I’m trying to keep my feet on the ground and just do everything at a good level because here we have a lot of temperature issues with the tyres and the battery. So as a driver you have to be very well prepared. We had five months off, so we’re going to be a bit rusty,” he concluded.
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