ePrix de Tokyo – Race 2: Another win for Oliver Rowland, who takes the championship by storm

By not winning on Saturday, Oliver Rowland had thus interrupted his record of winning every other race since the start of the season. The Englishman set things right on Sunday with a fourth victory in nine races since the inaugural Sao Paulo ePrix.

In much more favorable conditions than the previous day, the Nissan driver succeeded in his day with a second pole in two days, followed by a well-controlled race completed with a perfectly executed strategy.

Without Pit Boost, this second race of the Japanese weekend would thus be played out on Attack Mode strategy. By delaying their activation, Rowland was taking a calculated risk of losing several positions. That’s exactly what happened as the Nissan dropped down the rankings.

As the leader, the reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein could hope to secure a second victory this season after the one achieved in Miami in April. However, this was without accounting for Rowland’s comeback at the end of the race. With about forty seconds more Attack Mode than his opponent, the Nissan number 23 launched an attack a few laps before the finish to reclaim the lead.

Except that a few laps before the finish, Taylor Barnard sent his McLaren into the wall, causing the safety car to come out. It was therefore a very tight pack that would fight for victory in front of a Japanese audience who came in numbers to support the two local manufacturers present in FE, Nissan and Yamaha.

Rowland ultimately managed to hold on for his fourth victory of the season, extending his lead to 77 points over his nearest rival in the championship. Sixth on the day, Jean-Eric Vergne keeps his DS Penske team in the hunt for the podium in the team championship. It was a more difficult race for Norman Nato, who finished in 17th place.

The next appointment for Formula E is now set for May 31 and June 1 with two races scheduled at the Shanghai International Circuit.