News Nissan Formula E Team’s Oliver Rowland becomes Formula E World Champion at Berlin E-Prix
BERLIN, Germany – Nissan Formula E Team's Oliver Rowland crowned an incredible season today by becoming the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Champion, with two races left until the end of the season.
The British driver has had a year to remember, taking seven podiums including four victories, and battled through an intense race weekend in Berlin to secure the title.
Coming into the event with a 69-point lead in the standings, Rowland needed to keep the gap at 58 points or more by the end of the weekend to win the title in Germany. However, the event got off to a tough start during Saturday's Round 13 for both Rowland and Sérgio Sette Câmara, with the Brazilian making his debut for the team in place of Norman Nato (absent due to his World Endurance Championship commitments). Following a cancelled FP2 and a shortened Qualifying due to inclement weather, Oliver Rowland started third but suffered race ending contact in the latter stages of the event, which also saw him handed a five-place grid penalty for today's race. Meanwhile, Sérgio Sette Câmara lined up in 19th and showed solid pace on his debut for the Japanese outfit despite facing very difficult conditions, recovering from an earlier incident and gaining four places to finish 15th.
In today's Round 14, Rowland initially qualified third, but started eighth on the grid due to the penalty. The Brit managed his energy excellently, making his way towards the front and crossing the line in fourth as his main title rival dropped out of the top-10. Rowland's finish extended his advantage to 59 points, confirming him as the 2024/25 World Champion. On the other side of the garage, after an unfortunate qualifying which saw a red flag at the beginning of his push lap, Sette Câmara lined up 21st. Despite more bad luck which saw a Safety Car called out during his first Attack Mode activation, the Brazilian delivered an impressive performance, gaining 12 places to end the race in ninth and score his first points for the Japanese outfit in a weekend where he improved throughout.
Formula E's Season 11 comes to a close in at Rowland's home race in London, United Kingdom, taking to the unique semi-indoor ExCeL London circuit on 25-27 July.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: "It's one of the most emotional weekends ever for me in motorsport and I'm so proud of how the team bounced back after yesterday to help Oli secure the Drivers' Championship. The first race of the weekend was tough after the cancellation of FP2, especially for Sérgio on his debut for the team. However, we all stayed focused for today to claim this amazing achievement. It's very special to win the title with Oli, who started his Formula E journey with us as a rookie in our very first season, and today we're World Champions together. Sérgio also delivered an excellent race and it's great to see him score a top-10 finish in only his second race with us. It's time to celebrate this victory and then we'll look to fight until the very end to win the other two championships in London."
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: "I'm very proud to win the Drivers' World Championship with Nissan Formula E Team - it's going to take a while for it to sink in! After a tough day yesterday, I approached the race thinking about limiting the potential damage to my lead, but that strategy almost never works in Formula E, especially in this kind of race. So in the end I trusted myself and focused on delivering the best possible performance, and it paid off. Since I came back, Nissan created an environment which I can thrive in, and this is the perfect fairytale. The whole team has worked tirelessly and delivered to the highest standard, and I would like to thank each and every one of them for their amazing effort throughout this campaign. And I am also very grateful to Tommaso and Dorian, for always believing in me and giving me everything I needed in order to be World Champion today. The season isn't over yet though – we still have two championships to fight for and our focus is fully on these now for the season finale in London."
Sérgio Sette Câmara, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: "Following a positive FP1 in the dry on Friday, it was challenging to head straight into a wet Qualifying on Saturday after FP2 was cancelled, meaning I had zero experience in the car in those conditions. It was a difficult race but at least it gave me a good base for today. This morning I struggled in Qualifying to get a clean lap and then the red flag interrupted my final flying lap. It was also unfortunate that the Safety Car was called out during my first Attack Mode, but from then the pace was excellent and I managed to come through and score points. I'm delighted that Nissan Formula E Team gave me this opportunity and I'm proud to be part of this outfit. Also, I would like to congratulate Oli on taking the Drivers' Championship with two races remaining! I'm looking forward to continuing my work with the team and supporting Oli and Norman as we aim to take the remaining championships in London."
About Nissan in Formula E
Nissan made its all-electric racing debut in Season 5 (2018/19) of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, becoming the first and only Japanese manufacturer to enter the series.
In Season 7 (2020/21), Nissan announced its long-term involvement in Formula E and its commitment to the GEN3 era, which will run from Season 9 (2022/23) through to the end of Season 12 (2025/26) of the all-electric racing series.
In April 2022, Nissan acquired the e.dams race team, with the Japanese automaker taking full ownership of its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
In June 2022, Nissan announced it would supply its Nissan EV powertrain technology to McLaren Racing for the entirety of the Formula E GEN3 era.
On 28th March 2024, ahead of the first ever Tokyo E-Prix, Nissan announced its long term commitment to Formula E, becoming the first manufacturer to sign up for the GEN4 era, which runs until 2030, reinforcing its pledge to its Ambition 2030 electrification targets.
For Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Nissan Formula E drivers are Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato.
Nissan races in Formula E to bring the excitement and fun of zero-emission electric vehicles to a global audience. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050, Nissan intends to electrify every allnew vehicle offering by the early 2030s in key markets. The Japanese automaker aims to bring its expertise in transferring knowledge and technology between the racetrack and road for better electric vehicles for customers.
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About Formula E
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint from inception back in 2020, having invested in certified climate-protecting projects in all race markets to offset emissions from every season of electric racing.
All cars in the championship are powered by electricity, with the series acting as a competitive platform to test and develop the latest in electric technology.
The World's greatest manufacturers race against each other on street circuits and Formula E promotes the adoption of sustainable mobility in city centers in a bid to combat air pollution and lessen the effects of climate change.
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