Oliver Rowland believes that Nissan e.dams can challenge for podiums providing that the Franco-Japanese team capitalises upon its pace in qualifying.
At the Diriyah E-Prix, Rowland was one of four drivers to finish inside the top 10 in both races, securing fourth in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2.
Struggling for pace in qualifying for both E-Prix, the British racer showcased the pace of Nissan’s IM02 package, advancing by a total of 15 positions from lights to flag.
Reflecting on his weekend in Diriyah, Rowland believes that an improvement in Nissan’s qualifying pace will yield additional success in races, confident that silverware is possible:
“My qualifying results weren’t what I wanted to see” said Rowland. "Being in the first group for both races was tough, but I was very pleased with my Nissan e.dams car in the races this weekend.
“I was able to move through the pack on both days and keep my nose out of trouble. Sure, I would have loved to have been challenging for the podium, but if we can get qualifying sorted, then that’s where we’ll be.
“It was a tough battle out there, but I enjoyed both races and can’t wait for round three.”
On the other side of the Nissan garage, Sebastien Buemi failed to match Rowland’s form with a water pressure issue forcing the Season 2 champion to retire from Race 1 while a spin in Race 2 resulted in a haul of zero points.
“Sadly, the weekend didn’t go as planned for me,” said Buemi. “Qualifying on the front row for round two was very pleasing, but after being spun around, it ruined my day.
“The Formula E races are so short that if you get a set-back like that is very hard to fight back. I’m obviously very disappointed, but the positive takeaway from the weekend is the Nissan e.dams cars had strong speed.
“We now need to concentrate on turning that speed into results when we get to Chile early in the new year.”
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