New Formula E World Champion Oliver Rowland revealed to Motorsport Week that Max Verstappen sent him an encouraging text message in the build-up to his title success.
The Yorkshireman drove a typically calm race amid typical FE chaos to take his first Drivers’ Championship, after an untypical FE season of supreme dominance.
Rowland’s fourth place was enough to secure the right to Number 1 on his Nissan next year, ursping the crown from Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein.
After the race, a delighted Rowland told Motorsport Week that he had received the message from the reigning Formula 1 World Champion after a difficult Race 1 on Saturday.
“He messaged me last night and told me to keep my chin up and score points,” he said, “which meant a lot, because I was pretty disappointed in myself, but it was a really nice touch of him to message me, and he’s a great guy.”
Rowland had, earlier in the season, been given the high praise of being like Verstappen by his former team-mate Sacha Fenestraz, a suggestion that Rowland laughed off.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m not going to say that I’m a Max Verstappen, because I don’t think that’s close to the mark,” adding: “I mean, even to be compared to him is obviously a huge compliment, let’s say, but I’m not sure I’m quite at his level.”
Rowland was somewhat overwhelmed when he crossed the line to confirm the championship triumph, being given a radio message from his daughter.
He was quick to praise his Nissan team for the car that gave him the car to put together a title challenge, and showed his immense gratitude.
“I don’t know what to say,” he said. “We put together a really, really strong season. We did everything right.
“Today was another showing of how we can be efficient, how we can win races, not win races, but sorry, score good points in races and manage the best we could with what we had. And yeah, huge thanks to the team and everybody involved.”
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