Rowland targets multiple titles after Formula E breakthrough

Reuters

2 days ago

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) - After 11 seasons that have produced 10 different champions, Formula E's new title-holder Oliver Rowland believes the all-electric series has become less of a lottery and he can break with the past.
The Nissan driver, who clinched this year's crown in Berlin on July 13 with two races to spare, told reporters ahead of his home British season finale at London's ExCel this weekend that the championship was fairer now.
"In the early years we had this qualifying system which was just mental, where the top six in the championship went out on a track that was one second slower than (for) the next group and then half a second slower than the next group," he said.
"You could never pull away in the championship. You would basically get in the lead and then just start last in the next race."
In 2021, the last year before the Season Eight change, 18 drivers remained in title contention heading into the final two rounds.
Seven of the 11 championships, including the first three, have been decided in the final race.
Only Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne has so far managed to defend a Formula E crown, winning back-to-back titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The current qualifying splits drivers into two groups of 11 based on championship position, with odd numbers in one group and evens in the other, before the top four from each advance to knockout duels.
"It's kind of much fairer and I think you have the opportunity to see people winning more back-to-back titles," said Rowland, 32.
"I think it's a little bit fairer now in terms of not being as much of a lottery. I expect that you will see the same guys towards the front and more repeat winners moving forward," said Rowland.
While this year's drivers' crown is won, Nissan are fighting Porsche for the team and manufacturers' titles.
Rowland said his ambition for the future, without the pressure of chasing a first title, was to try to cement himself as one of the top drivers in the series.
"It's a good motivation to have, to try and win three or four (titles)," he said.