„Was in the Perfect Position!“ – Oliver Rowland Discusses How Nissan Penalties Cost Him the Formula E Victory
By Tim Neuhaus, December 8, 2024, 12:38 PM
The Formula E race on Saturday in Sao Paulo turned into a massive disarray. There were numerous crashes, and many penalties were handed out, with Nissan accumulating the most. Every driver from both the Nissan factory team and McLaren, Nissan’s customer team, received a drive-through penalty. The infraction was technical, related to „power overuse.“ This was particularly disappointing for Oliver Rowland, who had been a strong contender for victory for much of the race.
The term „power overuse“ simply refers to the temporary drawing of excessive power from the battery. Nissan team principal Tommaso Volpe has now confirmed to The Race where the issue originated: „The problem was with the control systems during the start procedure. We will urgently review this next week to ensure that penalties are avoided in the future.“
Rowland had control of the race
Rowland, who began the race from second position and demonstrated exceptional performance throughout the weekend, was the only Nissan driver not penalized at the start. This was likely due to his favorable starting position, which allowed him to avoid reaching the critical speed threshold before the first turn. The British driver took the lead at the start and maintained dominance over the race thereafter.
He was able to save his Attack Mode for a longer period than the other drivers in the leading pack. Rowland was confident of his victory, stating, „I was ideally placed to pull away and nearly finish the race with the second Attack Mode.“ However, issues arose during the first activation: With nearly four minutes of Attack Mode remaining, Jake Dennis’s exit led to a red flag, causing Rowland to lose his advantage.
His chances of winning were completely destroyed with the restart. Once again, he had a strong start and reclaimed the lead. However, his start was almost too strong: „During the second start, I held the throttle longer and battled with Antonio (Felix da Costa) until the first corner, and I encountered the same issue as the other Nissans.“ Consequently, he was penalized for „power overuse“ and dropped to the last position.
Penalties Turn into Advantage for McLaren
In the initial stage of the race, Taylor Barnard and Sam Bird both received and served their penalties. The two red flag periods gave them an energy advantage, allowing them to conserve their Attack Mode for longer. Ultimately, this strategy paid off as Barnard secured his first podium finish with a third-place result, and Bird finished just behind him in fourth. With a total of 27 points, McLaren now leads the team standings!
Addressing the issue is, of course, a top priority for McLaren. Team principal Ian James states, „These matters are incredibly complicated, and naturally, you want to extract the best possible performance, so there’s a tendency to push things to the limit. However, we should avoid ending up in a situation like today.“ According to James, McLaren is committed to fully supporting Nissan in resolving the problem.
Setting aside the penalties, Nissan appears more robust than ever, and the overall mood is positive. James is confident: „If we can solve the problems, the package Nissan provides looks impressive!“ We’ll find out if it leads to victory in Mexico. The second race of the season is scheduled there for January 11, 2025.
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