{"id":814083,"date":"2024-12-23T01:20:32","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T07:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/23\/rowland-more-than-one-fk-up-cost-victory-in-formula-e-season-opener\/"},"modified":"2024-12-23T01:20:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T07:20:32","slug":"rowland-more-than-one-fk-up-cost-victory-in-formula-e-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/23\/rowland-more-than-one-fk-up-cost-victory-in-formula-e-season-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"Rowland: \u201cMore than one f**k up\u201d cost victory in Formula E season-opener"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Oliver Rowland<\/a> believes \u201cmore than one f**k up\u201d cost the Nissan Formula E driver a shot at victory in the Sao Paulo E-Prix, having failed to score any points despite leading the most laps.<\/p>\n

The Briton started second for the first race of the 2024-25 season, losing out to polesitter and reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein<\/a> by just 0.099s in qualifying.<\/p>\n

After beating the Porsche driver off the line, Rowland led the opening stages on the city street circuit, briefly relinquishing top spot when Nick Cassidy<\/a> moved ahead courtesy of the new all-wheel-drive Attack Mode.<\/p>\n

Having taken both his activations, the second as a red flag came out for the stranded and unsafe car of Jake Dennis<\/a>, Rowland passed the second Porsche of Antonio Felix da Costa<\/a> at the standing restart.<\/p>\n

He pulled a lead gap of more than three seconds to the pack before being slapped with a drive-through penalty, which ultimately led to his 14th-place finish.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to accept sometimes,\u201d Rowland told Motorsport.com, having led 17 out of 35 laps in Brazil. \u201cWe were in good shape, efficient, we were fast. I\u2019m pretty disappointed.<\/p>\n

\"Oliver <\/picture>\n

Oliver Rowland of Great Britain and Nissan Formula E Team looks on in the media pen<\/p>\n

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

\u201cTo be completely honest, there was more than one f**k up, let\u2019s say, and the reason I had three-and-a-half seconds [prior to his penalty] was because of another one.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if it was in relation to the wrong number of laps being displayed, as happened in Misano last season that meant Rowland ran out of energy from the lead on the final tour<\/a>, he said: \u201cNot the same, but similar.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had the right amount of laps from the start I had as good an energy as anybody, I would have fought for the win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cleared the drive-through but we wasted so much energy to go. I dropped back to eighth and that showed how much we gained but the problem is the [second] red flag neutralised everything again and then I just had a low target to the end.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the first red flag, I was one of the best, I was sat in second, still good energy. And then those four or five laps before the second red flag, that screwed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rowland\u2019s penalty was as a result of \u2018overpower\u2019, which also afflicted his Nissan team-mate Norman Nato<\/a>, as well as the two customer McLaren<\/a> entries of Taylor Barnard<\/a> and Sam Bird<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Taylor <\/picture>\n

Taylor Barnard NEOM McLaren Formula E Team Nissan e-4ORCE 05 David Beckmann Kiro Race Co Porsche 99X Electric WCG3<\/p>\n

Photo by: Alastair Staley \/ Motorsport Images<\/p>\n<\/section>\n

With the papaya-coloured cars taking their penalties in the opening phase though, they conserved vast amounts of energy and were able to climb back to third and fourth courtesy of the stoppages.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt [overpower] comes from the start,\u201d said Rowland. \u201cI was unaware that the other three had got it and I got what they got on the second start.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s due to speed basically. The first start I was closer to Turn 1 so I didn\u2019t get to the speed where there was a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the transition from front to rear [powertrains, when all-wheel-drive is used], so the second start when I pushed more to Turn 1, I got it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/span><\/p>\n