The Nissan Formula E Team took an excellent win in Round 2 of the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, thanks to several late overtakes from Oliver Rowland to ensure its maiden GEN3 Evo success.
The Brit made the semi-finals of the duels, lining up in fourth on the grid, with his teammate Norman Nato starting from P18 after a frustrating session.
Rowland made his way into the top-three by Turn 1 on the second lap and pulled off a stunning last corner overtake to move up another place as the race approached the halfway stage.
Remarkable victory
Dropping back and saving his Attack Mode until later compared to his fellow competitors, he managed to utilise the remainder of his extra power on the late Safety Car restart, moving from fourth to first in less than a minute to wrap up a remarkable victory in Mexico.
On the other side of the garage, Nato battled hard with those around him in a tightly matched field, ensuring a clean performance which moved him up five positions finishing P13.
This result means that Nissan sits second in the Manufacturers’ Standings after the opening two rounds of Season 11, and Rowland has moved up to the same place in the Drivers’ Championship.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal of the Nissan Formula E Team, said: “It’s an amazing result for the team and to achieve this victory in Mexico, which is such an important market for Nissan, and in front of these brilliant fans, is very special.
“Oli’s performance was excellent, with strong pace and brilliant overtakes in the very last laps of the race. Norman had great speed as well, but we made a mistake in qualifying which compromised his starting place and he couldn’t do much despite a solid drive throughout the whole race.
Incredible day
”Overall, it’s been an incredible day and the performance this weekend gives us lots of confidence heading into the rest of the season.”
A triumphant Oliver Rowland said: ”I’m delighted to take this victory in Mexico, as it’s always been a track that I’ve wanted to win at with these amazing fans in this incredible stadium.
”It was a great strategy from the team today, but we were initially unlucky with the timing of the Safety Car as I had just activated Attack Mode. However, once this period ended, we were left with around a minute of extra power, so I knew I had to be decisive when making those overtakes. It’s an unbelievable feeling to get this win for the team.
”My thoughts go out to my Performance Engineer, Asier Sebastián, who was taken to hospital this morning with acute appendicitis. I wish him all the best in his recovery and hope he can be back with us at the track soon.”
Norman Nato added: “I felt comfortable in the car, but it was difficult after qualifying. The positives are that we’re now second in the Manufacturers’ Standings and Oli picked up the win so we’re heading in the right direction.”
The series continues next month with a maiden trip to Jeddah for the first double-header of the campaign on February 13-15.