Following a recent string of impressive performances, Nissan e.dams' Oliver Rowland believes that he belongs in Formula E as his first full season in the all-electric single seater series continues.
Rowland made his Formula E debut at the 2015 Punta del Este E-Prix, filling in for an injured Nick Heidfeld at Mahindra before joining Nissan e.dams for Season Five, receiving a last-minute call-up from the Japanese manufacturer after Alexander Albon signed with Toro Rosso in Formula 1.
While the British driver sits in a low-key 15th in the Drivers' Championship having only finished inside the top 10 in one of this season's five races, the 26-year-old has had a number of notable outings, demonstrating impressive pace over the course of one lap while memorably running comfortably inside the top three in Mexico City before running out of usable energy.
Most recently, Rowland showcased what is a promising Nissan package in Hong Kong, with the driver out qualifying team-mate Sebastien Buemi to start on the front row of the grid before going on to lead the race, dropping to 10th after a brief loss in power before later retiring.
"After the past two races, I certainly feel like I belong in this championship," said Rowland, reflecting on his recent run of form.
"I may be a rookie, but the speed is there. Now, I want to reward Nissan e.dams’ faith in me by bringing home a result."
With Formula E's Asian leg of the 2018/19 campaign continuing this weekend with the inaugural Sanya E-Prix, Rowland looked ahead to the event, predicting a more equal grid due to the new nature of the street circuit:
"This weekend will be a little more of a level playing field for me, as this will be a brand-new track for everyone in the championship," he continued.
"After Hong Kong, we’ve been back to the simulator in France to prepare. The simulation work is a vital part of our preparation. When we roll out the pit lane for the first time, we have a better idea what to expect and have a solid plan in place both for qualifying and the race."
Season Two champion Buemi highlighted the pace of Nissan's IM01 Gen2 package, rubbishing the notion of 'what if' and looking ahead to the future, longing to become the next winner in what has so far been an unpredictable season of competition:
"The Nissan e.dams car has shown great speed in the past three races, but the results we’ve been chasing haven’t come yet," he said.
"We have no choice but to keep working as hard as we can. There’s no point in us looking back and wondering, ‘what if.’ Everyone at Nissan e.dams has continued to work incredibly hard to improve our package further.
"When I look back at the first Formula E race in China five years ago and compare it with today, the level of competition is almost unrecognizable.
"We’ve had five different drivers on pole and five different race winners so far this season. I’ve had the pole, but now I want to add my name to the winners list."
