Oliver Rowland has revealed the unique reason why he may waive the right to carry the coveted #1 on his car as defending Formula E champion next season.

The Nissan driver stormed to his first title in the all-electric championship, securing the title at the penultimate weekend in Berlin.

Rowland’s excellent and consistent performances saw him clinch the crown with 184 points, taking four wins across the 16-race schedule.

As reigning champion, the 33-year-old of course has the right to boast #1 on his car for next season, which kicks off in Sao Paulo on December 6.

But the Japanese marque has a special affiliation with the number 23, which currently adorns Rowland’s car.

In the Japanese language, the number two is pronounced ‘ni’ and the number two is pronounced ‘san,’ hence the delicate ties to it.

When asked by Motorsport Week if he would be taking #1, Rowland said it would be down to discussions with the Nissan hierarchy for their validation.

“I actually texted Tommaso [Volpe, Team Principal] asking for his opinion, because obviously the number 23 is really important for Nissan, and special,” he said.

“He thought didn’t usually take the #1, but in the last five years, a lot of people took it, so I corrected him on that! And said we’ve got a bit of time to think about it.”

Rowland floated the idea of handing the #23 to team-mate Norman Nato, but the Frenchman frequently bears #17 on his car, as a tribute to close friend, the late Jules Bianchi.

“Norman has a really strong tie to the number 17, which was obviously Jules’ number,” Rowland added.

“We need a #23, whether it comes from me or the other car, I can’t really tell you.

“My gut feeling is I’d like to run the #1 but it’s something we need to discuss internally and decide.

“Right now, I’m not sure, I’ll let you know as soon as it’s decided!”

READ MORE – Formula E champion pens multi-year deal with Nissan in unchanged Season 12 line-up

The post The unique reason Oliver Rowland may waive right to take #1 plate in Formula E appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Nissan Formula E Team has confirmed an unchanged driver line-up for next season, with World Champion Oliver Rowland being partnered by Norman Nato.

The Japanese marque were in little doubt of retaining Rowland, who stormed to his maiden title after a dominant campaign.

But the Yorkshireman has put to bed any doubt as to where his future lies, penning a multi-year deal, in what will be, in total, his sixth season with the team.

Speculation arose as to his partner for the upcoming season, which commences in Sao Paulo on December 6, with drivers including reservist Sergio Sette Camara rumoured.

But Nato has kept his seat, despite finishing 20th in the Drivers’ standings, his best results being two sixth-place finishes in Miami [also taking pole position] and Shanghai.

“I’m thrilled to sign with Nissan Formula E Team on a multi-year deal, in what will be my sixth season with the squad,” Rowland said in a statement.

“What we’ve managed to achieve following my return in 2023/24 has been remarkable.

“Since I came to Formula E, the team has felt like my home, and I have a high level of trust with them as well as plenty of support.

“The aim for Season 12 is to replicate and improve on what we did last campaign, but we know how hard we need to work in the off-season to achieve the best results possible.”

Nato, who won the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the World Endurance Championship last month, was similarly excited to be remaining with the team.

“I’m delighted to continue with Nissan Formula E Team for another season as it was always the target to extend my stay here,” the Frenchman said.

“It’ll be my third campaign with the team and my second consecutive one, which gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.

“I still have plenty of areas to improve on, but I’m not starting from scratch this year so I can use factors I’ve learned in Season 11 to help me in the future.

“I’m sure Oli will perform at a very high level again and I’m positive that together we can fight for the Teams’ Championship.”

READ MORE – Exclusive: Dan Ticktum ‘very likely’ to remain at Kiro for Formula E Season 12

The post Formula E champion pens multi-year deal with Nissan in unchanged Season 12 line-up appeared first on Motorsport Week.

New Formula E World Champion Oliver Rowland revealed to Motorsport Week that Max Verstappen sent him an encouraging text message in the build-up to his title success.

The Yorkshireman drove a typically calm race amid typical FE chaos to take his first Drivers’ Championship, after an untypical FE season of supreme dominance.

Rowland’s fourth place was enough to secure the right to Number 1 on his Nissan next year, ursping the crown from Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.

After the race, a delighted Rowland told Motorsport Week that he had received the message from the reigning Formula 1 World Champion after a difficult Race 1 on Saturday.

“He messaged me last night and told me to keep my chin up and score points,” he said, “which meant a lot, because I was pretty disappointed in myself, but it was a really nice touch of him to message me, and he’s a great guy.”

Rowland had, earlier in the season, been given the high praise of being like Verstappen by his former team-mate Sacha Fenestraz, a suggestion that Rowland laughed off.

“Yeah. I mean, I’m not going to say that I’m a Max Verstappen, because I don’t think that’s close to the mark,” adding: “I mean, even to be compared to him is obviously a huge compliment, let’s say, but I’m not sure I’m quite at his level.”

Rowland was somewhat overwhelmed when he crossed the line to confirm the championship triumph, being given a radio message from his daughter.

He was quick to praise his Nissan team for the car that gave him the car to put together a title challenge, and showed his immense gratitude.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said. “We put together a really, really strong season. We did everything right.

“Today was another showing of how we can be efficient, how we can win races, not win races, but sorry, score good points in races and manage the best we could with what we had. And yeah, huge thanks to the team and everybody involved.”

READ MORE – Berlin E-Prix: Oliver Rowland crowned Formula E World Champion as Nick Cassidy takes race win

The post Oliver Rowland reveals Max Verstappen text prior to Formula E title triumph appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Red Bull-affiliated Formula 2 driver Arvid Lindblad has credited his mentor Oliver Rowland for helping his career progression, saying the Formula E title-leader is “like family” to him.

The 17-year-old Brit, who also has Swedish and Indian lineage, is currently third in the F2 title standings, just eight points off the lead, currently held by Alex Dunne.

Lindblad, who drives for Campos Racing, has been part of Red Bull’s Junior Team since 2021, and finished fourth in the Formula 3 championship last year, taking six wins and a further six podiums.

Lindblad’s connection to Rowland began ten years ago, when the Nissan driver brought him into his own go-karting team, Oliver Rowland Motorsport, which subsequently also featured his FE counterpart, NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard.

The teenager is highly rated by Red Bull boss Christian Horner, and with good reason, taking victories in the Jeddah Sprint and, just last weekend, in the Feature Race in Barcelona.

When asked by Motorsport Week for an insight into the guidance and advice Rowland has given him, Lindblad was full of compliments for the Barnsley-born driver, who currently leads the FE standings by 68 points with just five races left.

“I’m very fortunate to be working with Oli,” he said. I’ve known Oli since I was seven, so we go way back. To be honest, at this point, he’s almost more like family than anything.

“It wasn’t that long ago that he was racing here in F2, so he knows the game very well. He’s currently racing in Formula E. He’s in the championship there, so he’s very experienced in motorsport. He knows what he’s doing. 

“And me being quite young and inexperienced, having his guidance has helped me a lot to come through the ranks and perform well.

“So yeah, I’m extremely lucky and fortunate to be working with Oli. And he’s played a massive part in my development and helped me to be where I am today.”

READ MORE – Arvid Lindblad converts pole into first F2 Feature Race win in Spain

The post ‘He’s like family’: Red Bull F2 star praises Formula E title-leader for career guidance appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Oliver Rowland has said his Nissan Formula E Team are “gelling in a good way,” after the Brit cemented his title credentials with a commanding victory in Race 2 of the Jeddah E-Prix.

Starting from second, Rowland played a team strategy perfectly, using his Attack Modes well to overcome the challenge of NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard to claim his second win of the season.

Rowland told Motorsport Week that, whilst his team and himself are now being labelled as one of the title favourites, you can’t be complacent.

“I don’t think you can expect it in this game,” he said. “Look, I’m always very clear with what I want to achieve each weekend. I have set out goals in my mind, which I focus on.

“I’m getting more and more experience with my team. We know what the car needs, we know what I need. We’re gelling in a good way, so I’m really happy.”

‘He’s very much like me’ – Rowland proud of protege Barnard

The race result had to significant additional points of interest with the first all-British podium in FE history, with Jake Hughes claiming third, and Jake Dennis finishing fourth to make it a UK quartet, as well as Barnard being a product of Rowland’s karting team initiative.

Rowland said that he noticed the talent of the 20-year-old – who became FE’s youngest-ever pole-sitter this weekend – and isn’t surprised to see him sharing a podium with him now.

“I saw his talent when he was 11, 12. He needed help because he had no backing or funding and managed to find him a really good seat so he could show even more of his talent. 

“And to be here at such a young age, youngest pole sitter, youngest podium, I think I have a good eye for that sort of stuff!

“But he deserves it. He’s very much like me. He came from a background that couldn’t afford to even do basic karting, so it’s nice to see him up here.”

Rowland added that he is proud of what the British youth system for young budding racing drivers has been able to do in terms of producing such a breadth of talented drivers.

“Britain is generally spoilt for drivers. You look in Formula 1, you look in Formula E, WEC, wherever, we have such a good grassroots karting that we really teach the kids very well and they’re able to perform.”

Rowland joked: “If we can put Britain on the map, from a selfish perspective, I don’t really care about the others, apart from him [Barnard] a little bit!”

READ MORE – Jeddah E-Prix: Oliver Rowland leads home British Formula E quartet

The post Oliver Rowland: Nissan team ‘gelling’ after Jeddah Formula E success appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Oliver Rowland took his Nissan to the top of the timing sheets in FP1 ahead of tomorrow’s first race for Formula E at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

The Brit, who won last time out in Mexico City, set the benchmark of 1:15.849, with team-mate Norman Nato second a tenth-of-a-second behind.

Both drivers for the Japanese marque were the only ones to move into the 1:15.000s, with Mahindra’s Edoardo Mortara, third two tenths off with a 1:16.069.

NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird was fourth, followed by Cupra Kiro’s Dan Ticktum in fifth, with reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein sixth.

Stoffel Vandoorne put his Maserati in seventh, with title-leader Antonio Felix da Costa eighth.

Max Gunther’s DS Penske was ninth, with Mitch Evans’ Jaguar rounding-up the top 10.

Only five tenths-of-a-second covered Rowland to Evans, with 1.6s covering the whole field, which was back-ended by the McLaren of Taylor Barnard.

Rowland will be looking to keep the momentum going from his late victory from the Porsche pair of Wehrlein and da Costa in Mexico, and has already set the tone under the lights in Jeddah, which will play host to its first-ever FE events, having moved to the F1 venue from the previous location in Riyadh.

The Corniche has introduced a new FE-friendly layout, two miles less than its F1 version, and has incorporated temporary chicanes, the final one leading out onto the start-finish straight, with a small bump on the exit that seemed to put many of the cars into a wiggle on the exit.

The post Jeddah E-Prix: Oliver Rowland leads Nissan 1-2 in FP1 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Nissan have announced that Norman Nato will partner Oliver Rowland in its FIA Formula E squad for the forthcoming 11th season of the championship.

The Japanese marque have confirmed that former driver Nato, who appeared to be out of Formula E after leaving Andretti in August, will return in place of Sacha Fenestraz, who was told by the team at the 11th hour that he will, after all, not be retained, leaving his own FE future in doubt.

Tommaso Volpe, Nissan’s Team Principal, has addressed the situation in a statement released by the team, alluding to Nato’s experience as being a key reason for his inclusion.

“We’re excited for Season 11 after a very good performance in the last campaign,” he said.

“We’ve refreshed our driver line-up by welcoming back Norman, who will bring his wealth of experience and performance. Norman knows the team well and showed his talent when he was previously with us.

“His feedback and insight are valuable and he has a track record of developing cars, so we are delighted to see him return. Oli had a fantastic Season 10, and we’re confident he can continue at that level.

“We believe that Norman and Oli will form a strong pairing, both are team players and will do their best to help us improve throughout the upcoming year.

“At the same time and while it hasn’t been an easy decision, we have to say goodbye to Sacha. He has been a fundamental part of the establishment and development of Nissan Formula E Team, and we thank him for his hard work and his ever positive attitude.

“We’re proud to have grown together with him, and wish him all the best forhis future career.”

Rowland, who had a sterling Season 10 with two victories and a fourth place finish in the Drivers’ Standings, said:

“I’m excited to continue with Nissan Formula E Team after a very strong year. It’s been great to have some time off.

“I’ve been training and working with the team which has been positive. For next season we need to try and bring more consistency to all elements of our race weekends, whether that’s in qualifying or car development.

“Last year we executed some races perfectly, so for this season we have to maintain that progress and improve the small bits we can to continue moving further up the order. I’ve known Norman for a few years, he’s very experienced and knows the team well, and I’m looking forward to working together.

“The GEN3 Evo car will be a challenge for everyone on the grid, so it’s a chance for us to maximize our performance and start the season on the front foot. I also want to give my best to Sacha, I enjoyed working with him during Season 10 and hope to see him back on the grid soon.”

Nato said: “I’m really happy to be back with the team. We ended Season 9 strongly together and I’m looking to pick up where we left off.

“We will be aiming to perform straight away, so the fact I know the car and the team will be helpful. Oli proved how quick he is last season, we’ve been battling on track since Formula Renault 2.0 but never been teammates!

“I’m sure we will get along well and hopefully we can share some podiums together. It will be interesting to see how the car has improved, and the goal is clear. We want to win races and championships.

“Finally, I wish Sacha all the best, he’s a top guy and it’s never easy to replace someone you previously partnered with. I’m sure we will be racing each other again very soon.”

Fenestraz completed two campaigns with the team, originally partnered with Nato, and despite a difficult Season 10 in which he was comprehensively outscored by Rowland, it seemed as if he would continue for a third.

Fenestraz told motorsport.com: “I was told around the beginning of August that I was staying, but everything has now changed apparently…a lot of drivers have had similar years to the one I’ve had and they managed to bounce back.

“Unfortunately they didn’t give me that opportunity, which is a shame, but it’s the reality.”

Nato’s previous run with Nissan in Season 9 yielded a 10th place finish in the Drivers’ table, with eight points finishes, including a solitary podium in Rome.

Nissan will be aware that the Frenchman, like many FE drivers, will have FIA World Endurance Championship commitments, with one clash expected between the Interlagos round of WEC and the Berlin E-Prix weekend.

The post Nissan confirm Nato as partner to Rowland for Formula E Season 11 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Season 10 of the FIA Formula E World Championship was perhaps the most dramatic in the sport’s decade-long history. Many drivers showed their class, but only five can make Motorsport Week’s list of top performers. So, who are they?

5 Nick Cassidy

Cassidy matched his superb Season 9 showing with a fabulous debut season for Jaguar TCS Racing. An early-season victory in Diriyah set the tone for a title challenge that saw plenty of incredible performances, most notably his victory in Berlin Race 1, in which he dragged himself from 19^th place to take victory, earning him the moniker Prince of the Peloton.

However, Cassidy’s agonising season conclusion began in Portland. On the penultimate lap, with a win due to cement a buffer of around 50 points, the Kiwi spun in the lead, dropping out of the points, opening-up the title race.

A further non-points finish in Race 2 confined him to a final weekend showdown. Despite a fantastic damage limitation drive in Race 1, a strategic blunder by his team left him in the clutches of other cars, and contact with Antonio Felix da Costa deflated his right rear tyre, as well as his championship hopes.

Despite the watershed moments that rendered his season fruitless, nothing should take away the performances that have confirmed that Cassidy is one of the very top drivers in Formula E, and with the right car beneath him, Season 11 could be his year.

4 Mitch Evans

The second Kiwi in the second Jaguar, Evans, like his countryman and good friend Cassidy, came desperately close to the title. After scoring points in five out of the first six races, Evans’ high point came at the midway point of the season, leading-home brilliant Jaguar one-two in Monaco.

Evans would go on to score points in every remaining race, including picking-up another win in Shanghai. A double podium in London would ultimately not be enough to give him the championship, further emphasising the reputation of being the bridesmaid, never the bride.

His big moment would also come in Portland, inheriting the lead after Cassidy’s spin, but not given the win due to an earlier time penalty, harshly given for a clash with Jake Hughes. If Evans continues to drive in the manner we are all used to seeing, then a first Formula E title will surely not be too far away.

3 Antonio Felix da Costa

After an underwhelming debut season with Porsche, da Costa entered Season 10 with two poor weekends in Mexico and Diriyah. Within the seven-week wait between that weekend and Sao Paulo, Porsche made the bold move to test ABT Cupra’s Nico Müller with a view to replacing da Costa.

Other drivers may have crumbled, but not da Costa. With points finishes in Sao Paulo and Tokyo, the Portuguese arrived in Misano with the news of Müller’s test off the presses, and brushed it off accordingly with a fantastic win…only to be disqualified six hours later for an illegal throttle damper spring.

Shrugging off any thoughts of ‘woe me’, da Costa continued to score points in Monaco and Berlin Race 1, before finally taking a win he could keep in the second race. He followed this up with a dominant showing in Shanghai, and then taking both races in Portland, to keep himself in title contention.

Da Costa’s redemption arc was one of the stories of Season 10, and that level of form will make him one of the early-season favourites for title glory once we start again in December.

2 Pascal Wehrlein

Wehrlein, like Cassidy, set the tone for his season early-on, with a lights-to-flag victory from pole position in the opening round in Mexico. The pole was a pivotal turning-point for the Tag Heuer Porsche team, with qualifying having been their Achilles’ Heel across Season 9, which cost the German a shot at glory, having been the title-leader at the halfway stage then.

Like Evans, Wehrlein would consistently pick-up points, earning another victory in Misano, as well as second in Shanghai, having battled both Jaguars at very close quarters. Taking 13 points in Portland would enable him to set himself up for the championship in London, and, despite being 12 points adrift, a superb win in Race 1 and second in Race 2 saw him capitalise on Jaguar’s mishaps and take his first FE title.

Ultimately, the man with the most points deserved the title, and Wehrlein was without a doubt the deserving claimant of the crown and based on this level of form, don’t ever doubt the possibility of him retaining it.

1 Oliver Rowland

Motorsport Week’s Formula E driver of the year goes to Oliver Rowland, and for very good reason.

Having quit Mahindra Racing midway through Season 9, Rowland’s Formula E career looked to be done, but his old employers Nissan took a chance on bringing him back.

And what a repayment Rowland made in their faith. After missing-out on points in round one and Race 1 in Diriyah, Race 2 would see his first podium finish since 2022, the first of a four-race podium streak, culminating in the inheritance of da Costa’s disqualified Misano success. A double victory would have been achieved had the second race been a lap shorter, having lost energy with just a matter of corners to go.

Two third place finishes in Berlin would follow, as well as more points in Shanghai. Although mathematically capable of winning the title at the final weekend, missing Portland due to illness was what would put paid to his chances, and one wonders what might have been had he been able to drive?

However, it did not put the dampener on London, with Rowland taking his second win of the season and perhaps his greatest. From ninth on the grid, Rowland navigated is way through all the chaos and drama of the title fight to take the victory in Race 2.

If da Costa’s redemption arc was the saviour of his drive, then Rowland’s was the saviour of his career. After hiring a sports psychologist before the season commenced, Rowland has never looked stronger behind the wheel of an FE car, and if Nissan can provide him with one that is consistently quick enough, his Season 11 title credentials are very high indeed.

Honourable mentions

One driver that impressed throughout the season was Maximilian Günther. The German took victory in Tokyo and had a string of superb drives, which appears to have earned him a yet-to-be-confirmed move to DS Penske.

It would be churlish to not mention Taylor Barnard either. Still 19 at the time, Barnard was given just 20 minutes to prepare for FP2 in Monaco, with Sam Bird having injured his hand in FP1. Barnard would finish the race in 14^th place, and whilst deputising for Bird again in Berlin, the F2 regular would finish in the points in both races. With Jake Hughes leaving for Maserati MSG Racing, Barnard is the favourite to take a full-time drive next season.

Outgoing champion Jake Dennis would be right to lay some blame on the failure of his title defence on his Andretti’s inability to get hooked-up in qualifying, but it did not deter him from putting together some fantastic drives, with four podiums, including a stunning 14-second victory in Diriyah, the second-highest win margin for a driver in Formula E history.

The post Motorsport Week’s top five Formula E drivers of 2024 appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Oliver Rowland told Motorsport Week that he sensed that the three-way fight for the FIA Formula E World Championship would escalate in-front of him during the final round in London.

The Nissan man started ninth on the grid at the ExCel Centre, but managed to capitalise on a slowing tempo of the race to work his way into contention. With title-chasing Nick Cassidy taken out, Mitch Evans missing Attack Mode twice, and Pascal Wehrlein aware that he did not need to fight for victory to ensure his World Champion status, Rowland was able to jump over the obstacles in-front of him and cruise to a win on home soil.

Asked if he envisaged such an eventuality playing-out, Rowland told Motorsport Week he could foresee chaos.

“Well, the way I saw it was I was kind-of second behind Nick, because those two [Evans and Wehrlein] had to take both Attack Modes which is quite a big penalty,” he said.

“But the problem was they were slowing the race down so much that it was becoming quite dangerous, and you saw Nick got caught by Antonio, not intentionally, but it was pretty sketchy so I was trying to keep a gap.

“I knew that when it was going to come to it, something was going to happen, not from the three but from an external source, which I was trying for it not to be. But it was going to blow up at some point either way. It must have been amazing to follow and understand!”

Rowland played-down his own title credentials all season long, seeing himself very much as an outsider given that the Nissan team had no expectations to challenge as well as they eventually did. Given that he ends Season 10 with two victories and fourth place in the championship – despite missing both Portland races due to illness – Rowland is now confident of his team working towards a fiercer challenge in Season 11, particularly given the final-race win will, as he sees it, boost morale within the Japanese squad.

“It puts the icing on the cake and the most important thing is that it motivates everyone for the off-season.

“If you come away from a weekend with no points and everybody is down, you’ve got no energy, but seeing everybody’s faces, they will go back to the workshop hungry to do more.”

The post London E-Prix winner Rowland ‘knew’ Formula E title battle would ‘blow up’ in-front of him appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Pascal Wehrlein has won the 2024 FIA Formula E World Championship after a dramatic Race 2 in London, which saw Nissan’s Oliver Rowland come through from ninth on the grid to win his home race.

The German, like he did on Saturday, drove brilliantly to take the title, as the Jaguar TCS Racing team’s strategy capitulated in spectacular fashion, with Mitch Evans finishing third after two botched Attack Mode attempts, and with Nick Cassidy sent into retirement by Max Günther, the long-standing title leader likely to feel aggrieved at being left in third place behind his two rivals for much of the race before his retirement.

Sebastien Buemi recovered from a poor qualifying to finish fourth, with Antonio Felix da Costa fifth, having played his part in helping Wehrlein towards the end of the race. Jean-Éric Vergne wrapped-up his Season 10 with sixth spot, followed by Nico Müller in seventh, Robin Frijns in eighth, Stoffel Vandoorne ninth, and Lucas di Grassi 10th.

For Wehrlein, it would be a spectacular turnaround, overcoming the points deficit, keeping the coolest head amongst the chaos and coming through it all World Champion for the very first time, a very long-awaited triumph having joined the sport in 2018.

HOW THE RACE UNFOLDED

At the start, Cassidy led away into T1 with Evans jumping Günther immediately to make it a Jaguar 1-2. Wehrlein remained tucked-in behind Günther in fourth, with little changes elsewhere.

At the start of lap two, Dennis and Mortara collided at T3, with Wehrlein beginning to harry the Maserati, but his challenge was quickly truncated by the Safety Car being deployed. Replays would show that Dennis was left in Mortara’s clutches after jostling with Buemi at T1 and T2.

Green flag was waved at the start of lap five with the Jaguars first and second, with Wehrlein keen to resume his battle with Günther. Evans made a lunge for Cassidy but the latter kept his lead. Wehrlein eventually took Günther at the final corner, falling into Frijns’s clutches.

A three-way incident between Norman Nato, Dan Ticktum and Dan Bird, with replays showing Bird collided with Jehan Daruvala’s Maserati, with the ERT and Andretti following in sympathy. Both were able to reserve out and back into racing, but the McLaren was out on the spot. Daruvala’s diffuser was as a consequence loose, the Indian trying to shake it off by weaving in-front of those behind him.

Racing resumed on lap 10, with Cassidy taking his first Attack Mode, with Evans seemingly allowing his team-mate to keep his lead when the opportunity to take first was gaping in-front of him. Three laps later, Cassidy took his second, with Evans this time taking the lead with Wehrlein following through.

On lap 15, Wehrlein was beginning to weave every which way to find a way through into the lead, but Evans was resisting, with Cassidy waiting behind. Günther, Vergne and Frijns were all close but starting to fall slightly behind the others. Cassidy looked for a way through on the outside of Wehrlein into T1, who then still searched impatiently for a way through into the lead. Rowland was making steady progress up to fifth, with da Costa also making his way through, now up to second.

Cassidy, incandescent at how the strategy was playing out, complained frantically to his team as he still tried in vain to find a way past Wehrlein, with Rowland now fourth and looking to be firmly in the mix. Da Costa was also looking handy, now in sixth.

At T1 on lap 20, Werhlein dived into the inside of Evans, the two touching but without damage and without positions changing, with Cassidy still in a box office seat he wished he wasn’t sitting in. With Wehrlein still in the tow as per the situation of Race 1, the German was possessing two percent more energy than Evans.

Evans would try to make a gap to Wehrlein, but was still needing to place his car in the middle of the track and make it as wide as possible, the Porsche filling the Jaguar’s mirrors. Wehrlein got closer at the start of lap 24, switching from inside to outside to place Evans well out of shape, but the Jaguar was still ahead. Further back, da Costa and Vergne jostled furiously for fifth place, the Penske fighting for every inch of circuit, eventually taking the place, with da Costa left to fight Günther, who would take sixth, but the Porsche would quickly retake the position.

On lap 25, Evans was shown the black-and-white flag, warned for weaving in-front of Wehrlein. Da Costa was back into fifth, as his team-mate continued to prod and push Evans as hard as he could, but both drivers aware that time was running out for them to take their compulsory two Attack Modes.

Günther was now ahead of Vergne, with da Costa battling Rowland. All of a sudden, chaos ensued, Rowland divebombing Cassidy for third, with Günther now right behind, and at the final corner, the Maserati rear-ended Cassidy, puncturing his right rear. The Jaguar dived straight into the pits, with his title rivals both electing to take Attack Mode, handing the lead to Rowland. Amazingly, both Evans and Wehrlein missed the Attack Mode loops, now behind Rowland and with the Safety Car deployed.

With racing resuming quickly on lap 31, Rowland led with Evans second and Wehrlein third, with now both under risk of a disqualification for not taking a single Attack Mode. They both took it again successfully, with Rowland relenting the lead to Evans, knowing that both of them were under investigation for overtaking under yellow flags. The race, due to the Safety Car deployments, was extended to three laps.

Evans took his second attack on lap 33, missing it once again, handing Rowland the lead again. Both Porsches followed in behind, both of theirs taken with success. On lap 34, Evans finally got it right, but was now third behind Wehrlein, with Cassidy retiring due to the damage with the incident with Günther.

Wehrlein was now in the driving seat, second but with the championship within his grasp and wafting under his nostrils, as Evans now needing to slow in order to make sure his attack energy will be used by the time of the finish.

On the final lap, it was now Rowland leading with Wehrlein sitting pretty in second, knowing he did not need to fight the Nissan for the victory. With the title twelve points adrift at the start of the weekend, Pascal Wehrlein could now coast to the line, following the winner Rowland to be crowned the champion.

The post London E-Prix: Wehrlein wins World Championship as Rowland takes race victory appeared first on Motorsport Week.