With four wins, 14 podiums, and 453 championship points to his name, Oliver Rowland remains one of the most decorated drivers on the 2025 Formula E grid. However, the Brit is still missing one crucial piece to his Formula E career jigsaw: a world championship, and 2025 could be his best chance yet.
Early stages
Rowland entered Formula E in Season 2 with the Mahindra Racing Formula E team, but only managed one outing with the Banbury-based team in Punta Del Este (Uruguay) finishing 13th.
Season 5 though saw the Brit return to Formula E for his first full-fledged season, this time with the debuting Nissan E.Dams outfit. Partnering Sebastian Buemi the team went on to finish second overall, securing six podium finishes, Rowland contributing to two of these in Sanya and Monaco.
Rowland opted to stay with Nissan for the following season and claimed his first win in Berlin. Thus, the Brit flung into second place in the championship standings, but a retirement in the final race meant he ended the 2019/20 season fifth overall.
The following season proved to be a learning curve for the Japanese team and Rowland as they were plagued with poor race pace and bad reliability. Rowland qualified in the top ten at 11 of the 15 rounds but only managed to score points at 7 of these.
Season 8 provided a change of scenery for Rowland as he returned to his Season 2 outfit in the form of Mahindra. His debut campaign for the team proved lackluster as he managed just 22 points all season, half of those due to a second-place finish in the penultimate round in Seoul.
Season 9 proved even more dismal as he registered just nine points in eight races before parting ways with the team half way through the season.
What had started as a young rookie coming into the series with masses of potential had slowly died and flickered out as Rowland’s Formula E career was seemingly over as he left the paddock following his final race in Berlin.
First successes
However, the three-times race winner wasn’t away for long and the following season he was back on the grid again, this time partnering with young-gun Sacha Fenestraz at his old time Nissan.
The Japanese outfit proved a slow burner initially, but a podium finish in Diriyah proved the breakthrough as the team went on to claim a further six podiums across the season, Rowland securing all of these. The majority of these were across four rounds, with the Brit securing a podium finish at each event as well as a win in Misano.
Yet the championship eluded him and he could manage just fourth overall.
What to come?
Now, two races into the Season 11 campaign, Rowland is beginning to prove that all of his experience is bearing fruit. An unlucky result in Brazil was followed by a resounding performance in Mexico City which saw the 32-year-old storm to victory following a Nissan strategic masterclass.
“Ever since we got this package (the upgrades to the car for Mexico) we’ve felt like we have made a good step forward. We have a quick car, not the quickest car but we’re able to hang in there” said an ever skeptical Rowland who was cautiously optimistic off the back of his victory in Mexico City.
The British driver currently sits second in the drivers’ standings with 25 points, 12 points off da Costa in first place. While Rowland remains grounded about the potential for a championship challenge this season the speed the veteran has in the Nissan is plain to see and, provided the team can continue the car’s strong development, there is no reason he and Nissan can’t claim their first driver’s title.
Formula E heads to Jeddah for the inaugural Jeddah E-prix and Rowland will be looking to continue his strong pace and close the gap to the top of the championship.
