Oliver Rowland has offered an insight into his mindset and approach to this weekend’s London E-Prix double-header.
Speaking exclusively to Fastest Formula News on Thursday, Oliver Rowland walked us through his year, its highlights, and his approach to the season finale.
Arriving at the Nissan garage, the cars rested on their jacks, waiting for the busy weekend to unfold. Silence permeated the garage, the usual music playlist absent.
Rowland cut a relaxed figure upon his arrival, the weight of winning the title firmly off his shoulders. A dominant year for the Briton, the title was secured with two races to go, thanks to his metronomic consistency during the season.
Congratulating Rowland on his title, we asked Rowland the secret to his consistency. He said his and Nissan’s performance last season has underpinned his championship year, pushing everyone to the next level.
“Well, first of all, thank you. I think, yeah, we’ve had a great season. I think already last year we were super strong,” Rowland reflected.
“We had a great season heading into this year. Honestly, I put it down to just the small 1% sense of improving all the car, the team dynamics, improving the efficiency, also understanding on my side a bit more experience.
“It’s a culmination of a whole team push to manage to achieve what we’ve achieved.”
Memories off-track to last a lifetime and a relaxed approach to the finale
With so much success this season, we asked Rowland for his best memory away from the track. Without hesitation he reminisced sharing the podium with his daughter in Tokyo. He also praised his team for his Mexican GP win, which he achieved with an unusual Attack Mode strategy.
“My most memorable moment is sharing the podium with my daughter in Tokyo and the win. But I think from a team perspective, I think when we won in Mexico, it was pretty special. It was the first one of the season.
“The way we won it was really cool and everybody was just hugely pumped from the way we won it. So I think it was the race in Mexico.”
With the title now wrapped up, Rowland said he plans on enjoying the weekend. He revealed the London E-Prix was the first race he was entering with a very different mindset.
“There’s no doubt that I’m more relaxed. I feel a little bit lighter, less weight on my shoulders and honestly, I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be the first race ever in my career where I don’t feel too much pressure.
Free from pressure, the Briton said he will do his best to secure a clean sweep for the team. Nissan still has a mathematical chance of winning the Team’s and Manufacturer’s championships, although this could be a tough ask.
“I’m going to go out there, I’m going to enjoy myself, and yeah, I think from the team championship perspective, it’s a bit of a long shot for us, but at the same time, it’s not too far out of reach.
“So I think we need to just go and get it as best we can and if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, we can celebrate the driver’s championship on Sunday.
“If we do a clean sweep, I’m very, very happy.”
Setting up for the London E-Prix
With London’s unique indoor and outdoor setting, we asked Oliver Rowland if this impacts the car’s performance. Offering an insight into car setup for the weekend, the Briton said the recent resurfacing could help him in his quest for a home win.
He also said the team has continued to move forward in the second half of the season, with more upgrades.
“Yeah, obviously you’ve got the indoor and outdoor which the level of grip is quite drastically different. They’ve extended some parts of the resurfacing so we expect that we’ll have a little bit more grip in some areas, which should suit our car.
“Historically, our car has been very strong in high grip situations. However, last year we struggled a tiny little bit for one lap pace.
“But I think we’re in a good place. We made a big improvement on the car for Berlin, which has normally been a bogey track for us and I qualified third twice and we were really quick in a few ones.
So I’m hoping that we can maintain some of that form and put a good lap together.
Is a repeat London E-Prix victory on the cards for Oliver Rowland?
After winning in London last season, Oliver Rowland could secure back to wins of his home race. Asked if that is the target, without hestitation, he said he said he had the winner’s trophy in his sights.
“Of course, we want to win every race. Last year was a little bit of a surprise. I’m not putting too much pressure on winning here.
“Ive done the job. I’m happy with the championship. But if we can, then great.”
As we prepared to wrap up, we asked Rowland to confirm who was responsible for the music on the playlist that blasts out of the Nissan garage in between sessions. He confirmed that he does not approve of some of the track choices.
“That’s all down to the mechanics. I mean, maybe you heard a good part because some of it is pretty sh***y.
“Yeah, some of it’s okay. And then they get some stuff on it”, he joked.
