Oliver Rowland came agonizingly close to victory in the first race of the Jeddah E-Prix, only to see it slip away in the final chicane. Despite leading for most of the race, a late energy deficit allowed Maximilian Günther to make a decisive move at Turn 14-15-16, denying the Nissan driver what would have been a remarkable victory.
Yet, despite the frustration of losing the lead in the last moments, Rowland was far from devastated.
“Of course, whenever you lose the victory in the last corner, it’s a bit disappointing, but I think I’m pretty happy,” he admitted.
“The car was good, we stuck to our strategy. I think it was a great race as a spectacle. I was able to push quite hard, had to be almost inch-perfect every lap, and it came down to half a second.”
Energy Miscalculation Proved Costly
Rowland built a sizable lead ahead of the Pit Boost fast-charging stops, but his energy conservation strategy left him vulnerable in the final laps. Günther, who had one more Attack Mode activation, slowly chipped away at Rowland’s lead before making his move.
“I’m a little bit frustrated that I didn’t know how much of a buffer he had as he was coming back through,” Rowland said.
“I could have probably kept my target high enough to defend a bit better. I was actually trying to keep the gap at some point, and that hurt me a little bit at the end.”
As the race reached its final corners, Rowland had no choice but to lift off, ensuring he had just enough energy to reach the checkered flag. Unfortunately, Günther did not have to do the same, giving him the edge at the crucial moment.
“We were struggling for energy, and we have a point in which we have to lift in the last corner, otherwise we wouldn’t make it to the line,” Rowland explained.
“I was hoping that he did too, but he didn’t.”
Did Nissan Misjudge the Race Strategy?
Rowland revealed that Nissan’s strategy was executed as planned, but the team expected other drivers to follow similar pit timing, which didn’t happen.
“We expected that a lot of people would do what we did, but it didn’t seem that they did,” he noted.
“I think we did everything right. I mean, we just lacked five hundredths of energy in the last corner, and that’s it.”
Rowland’s Redemption Chance in Race 2
Despite the heartbreaking near-miss, Rowland remains confident heading into the second race of the Jeddah E-Prix. With Nissan showing strong pace, the Brit will look to fine-tune his energy strategy and capitalize on another opportunity for victory.
