Few could have predicted Oliver Rowland’s sensational rise to title glory when he voluntarily decided to drop off the grid back in 2023. Skip forward to 2025, and he’s now clinched the Formula E title with two rounds to spare.
Rowland admits that his decision to step away from Mahindra mid-season was a “huge risk”. But it was also a pivotal turning point for him. “When I went to Mahindra, I did so with the hope that we could create successful things, and that didn’t quite go to plan. [Stepping away] was important for me to understand what I wanted from life and my career,” Rowland explained.
“It made me come back fighting with more determination to make sure that it works, because the reality was that if this journey with Nissan didn’t work, it was probably my last one, and my career wouldn’t have lasted so long.”
Return to Nissan
Rowland clinched the 2025 Formula E title with a 31-point advantage
Just when it seemed like Rowland’s promising Formula E career had reached a premature end, the British driver announced that he would be returning to Nissan – the same team he’d parted ways with back in 2021. It was a leap of faith, but both Nissan and Rowland were determined to rebuild their Formula E journeys.
“They pushed a lot to have me back, gave me a clear roadmap of where they wanted the team to go. And honestly, they delivered what they promised to me,” added Rowland.
2024 gave us glimpses of Rowland’s title-winning pace, with a handful of podiums and wins. But everything finally aligned in 2025. After a difficult start to the season at São Paulo, where a penalty denied him victory, Rowland delivered one of the most dominant runs in recent Formula E memory.
He scored top two finishes in seven of the next eight races. By Round 9, many thought the Nissan driver already had one hand on the championship trophy. But Rowland had a very different mindset: “In my mind, the championship was far from over [even] when everybody had been saying that I’d already won it.”
Heading into the Berlin double-header, Rowland held a 69-point lead over Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. But he was then hit with a setback. While Wehrlein finished P2 in the first Berlin race, Rowland ended up retiring and was handed a five-place grid penalty for the next race for causing a collision. But he pulled off some key moves to finish fourth in Race 2 – enough to seal the title with two races to go.
“I was really upset that I didn’t take the top five finish that was probably on the cards at that point of the race [in Berlin]. There was quite a lot of pressure that was coming down on me, and at some point, you have to admit that I cracked a little bit,” said Rowland. “But I was able to regroup myself, do a really strong qualifying given the package we had in the rain, which was really not that strong.”
He added, “I really had to put the performance of my life to make sure that the championship wasn’t in a bad position.”
Viewers around the world saw Rowland’s young daughter congratulate him as he crossed the finish line in Berlin. When asked about that moment, Rowland replied, “As racing drivers, we spend so much time away from home and sacrifice important time with family. I want to show her that it’s worthwhile.”
He continued, “I was already really emotional, and then when I heard her. I couldn’t hold anything in anymore. It was a really nice surprise and a nice touch by the team.”
What’s next?
Rowland focused on Formula E, but not ruling out one-off Le Mans appearance
Rowland admits that he felt “a huge sense of relief” when he clinched the title. “For me, the pressure is kind of released now. I’ve done it!” he said.
It’s commonplace for several Formula E drivers to undertake dual campaigns in other series like the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Rowland revealed that he has been approached by some WEC teams, but he remains committed to Formula E for the near future.
“I think if you want to succeed in Formula E, it’s quite difficult to do two programmes. I’ve had teammates that have done it in the past, and I think to really focus on one is the best way of optimising,” he explained. But he’s not ruling out a one-off Le Mans appearance, should the opportunity arise.
So, what is Rowland’s next goal now that he has finally clinched the Formula E title? It’s a simple answer for the Brit – “My ambition is to stay in Formula E and try to do this many, many more times and cement myself as one of the best drivers that did it.”
Dipan Sur
