INDIA in F1

Tag: Oliver Rowland

  • Mahindra Racing Formula E team continue to make progress in Monaco

    Mahindra Racing Formula E team continue to make progress in Monaco

    Mumbai / Banbury, May 8, 2023: Mahindra Racing Formula E team leaves round nine of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship feeling positive with their race pace after a storming start to the Monaco E-Prix by Oliver Rowland.

    Oliver lined up in 13th place on the iconic Monaco grid after an improved performance in qualifying earlier in the day. After passing seven cars in the first two laps, he dropped back a few places due to taking attack mode early. Unfortunately, during the hectic race, he made contact with the back of Mortara’s Maserati, injuring his hand. He was also hit on the side by another competitor causing a puncture, meaning he had to pit the #8 for both a nose change and a left rear wheel change. Towards the later stages of the race, Oliver was struggling too much with the pain in his hand, so he and the team decided to retire the car to stop Oliver suffering any more pain.

    Racing on his home streets, Lucas Di Grassi also made up seven places throughout the 29-lap race, crossing the line in P13 after starting in 20th place. His qualifying session was hampered by a crash in FP1, the nature of the Monaco race weekend meaning all sessions are held on one day and started towards the back of the grid. After a relatively quiet race, Lucas crossed the line in 13th place, but was promoted to 12th position after a penalty for another competitor.

    Retiring from the race with an injured hand, Oliver Rowland said: “I made a great start. I passed seven cars over the first two laps and even managed to save energy at the same time as well, so it was looking positive. I dropped back a couple of spots after using my attack mode early on, but from then on, I was purely focused on moving back up the field again. Unfortunately, I made contact with Mortara, which subsequently hurt my hand when the steering wheel bashed it. I then got hit by Rast and got a puncture so had to pit for a wheel and a front nose change which put us to the back of the pack. Once I returned to the track, I tried to carry on, but I ended up having to retire the car because I was in quite a bit of pain. Luckily no broken bones so we look ahead to Jakarta next.”

    Reflecting on his second home race, Lucas Di Grassi said: “We had a tough day, starting with FP1 with a crash making us lose critical time in the first few laps of learning the track. Then we were playing catch up. In qualifying we made some improvements, managing the first set of tyres. I lost a set of tyres because of the crash so in qualifying the first part was actually quite good. Then in the race, we started P20 and we did a good race with a very good strategy and energy saving. I managed to pass seven cars making it up to 13th, but that was the best we could do, especially with the late safety car at the end which really hurt our chances.”

    Mahindra Racing CEO, Frederic Bertrand, said: “Oliver had such a fantastic start, passing multiple cars in the opening laps, so it is frustrating that he ended up having to retire the car, but of course it is much more important that he gets his hand looked at immediately. Lucas also had a good race, he made up places to finish 13th, but the late safety car ruined any chance of us making up any more positions to score those points we are aiming for. The qualifying session was again disappointing, but it just goes to show that starting further up the grid, like Oliver did, makes it easier for us to attempt our points finishing target. We move onto Jakarta next.”

    The next race for the team is the Jakarta E-Prix double header on 3-4 June.

    Mahindra Racing has a strong set of partners, including Official Powertrain Partner ZF and e-fluids partner Shell. Maurice Lacroix, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, continues as the Official Timekeeper.

  • Mahindra Racing, the pride of India at Formula E

    Mahindra Racing, the pride of India at Formula E

    Mahindra Racing stats in Formula E: 101 Races, 5 Wins, 24 Podiums

    Mahindra Racing has competed in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship since Season 1, representing the Indian car giant on a global sporting scale in single-seater motor racing.

    Formula E is Indian car giant Mahindra’s first foray into international single-seater racing, and it has been committed to the series since its inaugural campaign. The company is a manufacturer of electric cars, and utilises its competition in the championship as a fast-paced test-bed to develop and refine its groundbreaking electric vehicle technology through its ‘Race to Road’ programme.

    The team scored its breakthrough win in the 2016/17 campaign and in 2017/18, went on to score two further victories thanks to Swedish driver Felix Rosenqvist, who raced alongside German driver Nick Heidfeld.

    In the 2017/18 season, the team got off to a strong start before technical issues reduced Felix Rosenqvist’s title hopes to nothing more than a distant dream. The team finished fourth overall, one place behind where it finished at the end of 2016/17.

    In Season 5, the team was fronted by long-standing Formula E, and former Dragon driver Jerome d’Ambrosio as well as rookie driver Pascal Wehrlein. Another victory followed as d’Ambrosio scooped a win in Marrakesh, and was denied a second of the season by in heartbreaking fashion in Mexico City as Wehrlein saw the winner’s Moet & Chandon champagne stolen from his grasp at the last by Lucas di Grassi just meters from the finish line.

    After a strong season Season 5, Mahindra headed into the 2019/20 campaign with the new M6Electro. Jerome D’Ambrosio closed out a two-year stint with the team with 16th in the standings and four top ten finishes over the season, seeing him edge former team-mate Pascal Wehrlein’s Berlin replacement Alex Lynn by just a point. Lynn’s exploits at Tempelhof were impressive. Three Super Pole appearances were backed up with good points in the final three rounds on the way to 17th in the Drivers’ table.

    Such was the intensely competitive nature of Season 7 that Mahindra found itself down in ninth spot in the Teams’ table. A stunning maiden win on home soil for Alex Lynn – as well as an expert suplex by Team Principal Dilbagh Gill in celebration in the pit-lane – crowned a glorious weekend for the team in London. A string of five retirements in 11 races stunted Alexander Sims’ progress after an encouraging podium in Rome. He wound up ninth with Lynn finishing the season 12th in the Drivers’ running thanks to podiums in New York and Valencia, on top of that victory in the UK capital.

    It’s an all-British line-up again for the team in Season 8, with Oliver Rowland joining Alexander Sims for 2021/22. A difficult season did bring a higher finish in the team standings, but it was Mahindra’s lowest points haul since the first season. Rowland saved their best to the end in Seoul, an impressive qualifying performance saw the Brit take his first podium with the team.

    For Season 9, Rowland continues with Mahindra for Gen3 as Sims steps aside to focus on sports cars. The bespectacled Brit will be replaced by Mr Formula E and one of the most successful drivers in the series; Lucas di Grassi, as they chart a course for more silverware and consistency.

    Drivers – Oliver Rowland

    Mahindra Racing entered a technical partnership with the returning ABT Sportsline for Gen3, and Oliver Rowland returns for a second campaign with the Anglo-Indian squad, as he and the team hope to kick up a gear at the start of Formula E’s new era.

    Starting his career in karting at the age of seven, Rowland spent a decade racing in various series around the United Kingdom before progressing to Formula Renault, taking a place on the grid of the 2010 Formula Renault UK Winter Series with CRS Racing. At the same time, the British driver received funding from the Racing Steps Foundation, which helped him graduate into single-seater racing. 

    Oliver Rowland, British, born 10 Aug 1992
    57 Races, 1 win, 6 Podiums.

    Moving to Formula Renault 3.5 in 2013, Rowland finished his campaign in fourth with seven podium finishes, before taking the championship title in 2015 with Fortec Motorsports. That same year, he made his debut in Formula E with Mahindra Racing, filling in for driver Nick Heidfield in the Punta del Este E-Prix where he finished 13th. 

    After making his debut in GP2 in Silverstone the same year, Rowland competed in the series for two seasons, finishing third overall in 2017. Entering into Formula One in 2017, Rowland was signed to the role of development driver to the Renault F1 team. 
    In 2018 the Sheffield-born driver was confirmed as Williams Martini Racing’s official Junior Driver ahead of securing a full-time seat with Nissan e.dams.

    Joining Formula E full-time after one outing for Mahindra in the 2015/16 season, Rowland partnered with Sebastien Buemi for the team’s debut season. Finishing second in the teams’ championship after six podium finishes, six pole positions and 16 Super Pole qualifying appearances, the team ended the season with its first ever victory during the final race weekend in New York, which went to Rowland’s teammate Buemi.

    In his second season with Nissan e.dams, Rowland put in a consistent run of point-scoring finishes across 2019/20 that culminated in a debut victory at the penultimate round of the season in the final Berlin double-header.

    Heading into his third season in all-electric street racing, Rowland continues his strong partnership with Nissan e.dams alongside Sebastien Buemi. 

    Season 7 was a slow burn, with bad luck curtailing front-running pace – certainly for the Brit. Rowland rounded off with another podium at Tempelhof, adding to silverware in Puebla. Converting his London DNF after that tangle with Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ) could well have seen Rowland trouble the standings’ top three.

    Rowland moved to pastures new to complete another all-British driver line-up alongside Alexander Sims at Indian outfit Mahindra Racing for Season 8, following three seasons with Nissan e.dams. It was 14th again in the running, with a podium in Seoul the highlight.

    Drivers – Lucas di Grassi 

    Lucas di Grassi was the winner of the first-ever Formula E race – the 2014 Beijing E-Prix – and is the most successful driver in the history of the championship. For the 2021/22 season, it was pastures new at ROKiT Venturi Racing, after a seven-year association with Audi’s Formula E team came to an end.

    Adding to his storied history, the Brazilian became the first ever to reach the 100-race mark in Seoul, and di Grassi strode to yet another top six finish in the standings, with fifth spot and 126 points and a win in London to add to his collection. For Gen3, it’s all-change again, with a move to Mahindra Racing – the ultra-experienced racer tasked with adjusting to Formula E’s third great era.

    Lucas di Grassi, Brazil, born 11 Aug 1984
    101 Races, 13 Wins, 40 Podiums.

    Born in Sao Paulo in 1984, Lucas di Grassi was the first driver to commit to the series, playing a founding role in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship alongside the series’ Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag. He played a key role in the development of the original prototype car that was used as a proof-of-concept for Gen1, used from the championship’s inaugural 2014/15 season. In 2016, he became the first man in history to drive a racing car on the Arctic Ice Cap, when he took a starring role in the incredible Project Ice adventure.

    Starting out his motorsport career after driving karts at his uncle’s kart shop in Interlagos, di Grassi made his competitive karting debut at the age of 10. A journey up the single-seater ladder, as well as victory in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 2005, overall runner-up in GP2 Series and in 2010, a season in Formula 1 with Virgin Racing. In 2012, Lucas di Grassi became an Audi factory driver, clinching three podium finishes in the gruelling 24 Hours of Le Mans – and he’s represented the brand ever since.

    The Brazilian has driven for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler throughout his time in Formula E, finishing third in Season 1 before taking the 2015/16 title down to the wire, narrowly losing out to Nelson Piquet Jr. It was third time lucky, though, as he overcame a 10-point deficit to claim the 2016/17 Drivers’ title in Montreal.

    Heading into the 2017/18 season as reigning champion, di Grassi once again overcame the odds and fought back after a tough start to the season, eventually placing second overall behind TECHEETAH’s Jean-Eric Vergne. He took it down to the wire once again in the final round of the 2018/19 campaign, going head-to-head with Vergne for the second consecutive year as well as Nissan e.dams’ Sebastian Buemi. Neither managed to put a stop to Vergne’s domination, however, with di Grassi rounding off the season in third place. 

    Di Grassi was one of only three full-time drivers to have finished every race in 2019/20 on the way to sixth in the Drivers’ table. His race-pace and combative style netted him the most progress, at just over six positions gained per race, of any driver. Qualifying was a thorn in the side for Audi through Season 6, and limited the Brazilian to two visits to the rostrum. For 2020/21, di Grassi remains with Audi, behind the wheel of its Audi e-tron FE07 – the German marque’s first car with an all-new in-house designed and built powertrain.   

    Away from the circuit, the Brazilian is CEO of the autonomous racing car project Roborace as well as Founder and CEO of his own electric bike start-up in Brazil. Di Grassi lives with his wife and children in Monaco, just 200 meters from the start/finish line of the famous race track.

    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s current run in Formula E drew to a close with a win for its 2016/17 champion Lucas di Grassi on home soil in Berlin. A one-two in Puebla was another big moment as di Grassi steered to seventh in the Drivers’ table.

    Pastures new in Season 8, in a Silver Arrow 02 driven by a title-winning Mercedes-EQ powertrain at ROKiT Venturi Racing saw fifth in the standings, and a highlight of the race win in London plus podiums in Seoul, New York City and Diriyah. Di Grassi did assemble a late title push but fell short of ultimate champion Stoffel Vandoorne’s miserly consistency in the end.

  • Oliver Rowland takes maiden Formula E win

    Oliver Rowland takes maiden Formula E win

    Oliver Rowland produced a peerless performance to convert pole position into victory in the penultimate Berlin E-Prix (12 August), leading home Robin Frijns and René Rast in what turned out to be a race to forget for some of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship’s biggest names.

    Berlin, 13 August 2020: From his third career pole position, Rowland led the 24-strong field away when the lights went out, and by lap ten, he had established a two-second margin over nearest pursuer Frijns.

    Not putting so much as a wheel out-of-place, the Nissan e.DAMS star maintained that margin throughout, never once surrendering his lead – although Frijns got close when Rowland employed ‘ATTACK MODE’ for the first time. Taking the chequered flag just over 1.9 seconds ahead, his maiden win vaulted the Briton from ninth up to second in the title table with one race remaining.

    Frijns extended his run of good results at Tempelhof Airport, adding another runner-up finish to the second and fourth places he achieved for Envision Virgin Racing last week, with the result helping to make up for a failure to start Sunday’s race due to a powertrain issue.

    Behind the top two, all eyes were on the tussle for third. Following an excellent qualifying effort, Neel Jani held the position for much of the race but subsequently conceded ground to TAG Heuer Porsche team-mate André Lotterer and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s Rast, who proceeded to engage in an enthralling battle for the final spot on the podium.

    Lotterer – one of the race’s main movers early on as he scythed his way past Rast and Alex Lynn – looked to have the situation under control in his defence against his countryman, but with less energy remaining, he found himself under increasing attack in the closing stages. In an incredible duel, the pair went side-by-side through several corners on the last lap, as Rast boldly prised the door open and eventually made a pass stick.

    Lynn took fifth for Mahindra Racing, the Briton sagely conserving his energy in order to pull off a late overtake on Jani, who nonetheless scored his first Formula E points in sixth after what was by far his most competitive performance to-date.

    From 14th on the grid, Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing) climbed through the field well. Despite losing ground when he was baulked on lap two, thereafter he picked his rivals off and made full use of ‘FANBOOST’ to cross the finish line in seventh and remain in the mix for the championship runner-up laurels.

    Edoardo Mortara claimed his second points finish of the week in Berlin with eighth place for ROKiT Venturi Racing, ahead of Mercedes-Benz EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who raced up the order from 18th at the start.

    The points-paying positions were completed by Rowland’s Nissan e.DAMS stablemate Sébastien Buemi, who enjoyed an entertaining duel with recently-crowned champion António Félix da Costa (DS Techeetah). The pair had started at the rear of the field following a disastrous qualifying session for all four Formula E title-winners, but fought their way through to the fringes of the top ten. Da Costa was on-course to finish 11th until he dropped out of contention on the last lap.

    Fellow champions Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) and Jean-Éric Vergne (DS Techeetah) were similarly in the wars; the Brazilian picked up a puncture and a five-second penalty for a collision with da Costa, while the Frenchman was handed a drive-through penalty for battery over-cooling.

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Maximilian Günther – third in the standings heading into the race – had to pit for repairs after contact early on left him with a punctured tyre, but he remains one of nine drivers still in the hunt for the championship runner-up spoils, a battle that will be decided tomorrow (Thursday, 13 August) in the season finale.

    NISSAN E.DAMS – OLIVER ROWLAND

    “I didn’t expect that today. The team has done a fantastic job, qualifying went well and in the race the car was amazing. I can’t believe it, it is an amazing feeling so let’s work for more of these moments.”

    ENVISION VIRGIN RACING – ROBIN FRIJNS

    “I was struggling to hang on to Oliver at the beginning since he was very fast – he just pulled the gap since he was one lap longer in ATTACK MODE. I was trying to get back, but Oliver did a great job and he was much quicker than me. I’m quite happy with second place but we are here to win so we need to keep working towards that goal.”

    AUDI SPORT ABT SCHAEFFLER – RENE RAST

    “The team told me I had more energy left than Andre on the last lap and I saw he was struggling in sector two. He was lifting quite early so I tried to overtake him and we had some contact and then went side-by-side in T12 and T13 and there was a bit of rubbing. If I have learned something over the past few races, it is that rubbing equals racing in Formula E, so I tried it today and had a much better result!”