logo
Rowland eyes many titles after Formula E breakthrough

Rowland eyes many titles after Formula E breakthrough

TimesLIVE22-07-2025
After 11 seasons that have produced 10 different champions, Formula E's new title holder Oliver Rowland believes the all-electric series has become less of a lottery and he can break with the past.
The Nissan driver, who clinched this year's crown in Berlin on July 13 with two races to spare, told reporters ahead of his home British season finale at London's ExCel this weekend that the championship was fairer.
"In the early years we had a qualifying system which was mental, where the top six in the championship went out on a track that was one second slower than (for) the next group and then half a second slower than the next group," he said.
"You could never pull away in the championship. You would basically get in the lead and then start last in the next race."
In 2021, the last year before the season eight change, 18 drivers remained in title contention heading into the final two rounds.
Seven of the 11 championships, including the first three, have been decided in the final race.
Only Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne has managed to defend a Formula E crown, winning back-to-back titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
The qualifying splits drivers into two groups of 11 based on championship position, with odd numbers in one group and evens in the other, before the top four from each advance to knockout duels.
"It's kind of much fairer and I think you have the opportunity to see people winning more back-to-back titles," said Rowland, 32.
"I think it's a bit fairer in terms of not being as much of a lottery. I expect you will see the same guys towards the front and more repeat winners moving forward," said Rowland.
While this year's drivers' crown is won, Nissan are fighting Porsche for the team and manufacturers' titles.
Rowland said his ambition for the future, without the pressure of chasing a first title, was to try to cement himself as one of the top drivers in the series.
"It's a good motivation to have, to try and win three or four (titles)." he said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nissan begins talks with union to cut jobs at European regional office
Nissan begins talks with union to cut jobs at European regional office

SowetanLIVE

time2 hours ago

  • SowetanLIVE

Nissan begins talks with union to cut jobs at European regional office

Nissan Motor has begun negotiations with the union representing staff at its European regional office about changes that will include job losses, according to a company document and internal emails. The struggling Japanese carmaker, which has embarked on a major restructuring, confirmed it has entered consultations with staff representatives at Nissan Automotive Europe, its regional office in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France, which has about 560 staff. The office, which also oversees Nissan's operations for Africa, the Middle East, India and Oceania, is set to undergo major changes, according to a person with knowledge of the issue who declined to be identified. Management and the union agreed to discuss voluntary redundancies before any forced layoffs, the document seen by Reuters showed. Talks are expected to conclude by October 20, with full details to be shared with staff in November, the document and the emails said. 'We are working diligently and respectfully with all parties to ensure that this process is conducted with care, transparency and in full compliance with legal requirements,' Massimiliano Messina, Nissan's vice-chairperson for the region, said in a July 31 email. Messina also said in the email that no decisions had yet been made. After taking the helm in April, CEO Ivan Espinosa announced a sweeping restructuring that includes cutting about 15% of Nissan's workforce, slashing global production capacity by nearly 30% to 2.5-million vehicles and the number of its manufacturing sites to 10 from 17. The carmaker, which has seen weak sales in China and the US compound pain brought on from an expansionist strategy, hopes to save ¥500bn (R61bn) with the restructuring. In recent developments, Nissan said last week it would stop output at its Civac plant in Mexico by March next year. It also said it will end car production at its Oppama plant in Japan by March 2028 and at Nissan-Shatai's Shonan factory by March 2027. The carmaker employs nearly 19,000 people across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and Oceania, with close to 60% based in Europe, according to a diversity report published in October 2024.

New Range Rover Sport SV Carbon edition revealed
New Range Rover Sport SV Carbon edition revealed

TimesLIVE

time11 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

New Range Rover Sport SV Carbon edition revealed

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has unveiled the new Range Rover Sport SV Carbon, a lighter and more performance-focused flagship to be sold alongside the recently announced SV and SV Black variants. The British carmaker describes it as 'the ultimate expression of lightweight performance, featuring carbon finishes and exclusive colours'. Available in four standard exterior colours, along with a broader selection from the curated SV Premium Palette, the SV Carbon stands out with a Forged Carbon Exterior Pack and lightweight 23-inch forged alloy wheels paired with Anodised Black brake calipers. An exposed carbon fibre bonnet is optional, as are 23-inch carbon fibre wheels that reduce the vehicle's weight by 76kg, improving acceleration, handling and ride quality. Buyers can also upgrade to a carbon ceramic brake package, featuring eight piston SV calipers finished in blue, yellow, carbon bronze or black. Inside, four interior themes are offered with Windsor leather seats in Ebony, Rosewood and Ebony or Light Cloud and Ebony. A leather free option combines Cinder Grey and Ebony using perforated Ultrafabrics material. Forged Carbon detailing features on the seat backs and dashboard with a Twill Carbon finish also available. Other unique touches include Extended Moonlight Chrome accents, SV branded illuminated treadplates and Body and Soul Seat technology — an audio system that allows front occupants to 'feel' the sound. Power comes from a BMW-sourced, 4.4 l twin-turbocharged mild hybrid petrol V8 producing 467kW and 750Nm. This enables a 0-100km/h sprint in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 290km/h. Underpinning the vehicle is JLR's sophisticated 6D Dynamics suspension system, which includes hydraulic interlinked dampers, height adjustable air springs and a 48V pitch control system that replaces traditional anti-roll bars. Custom SV calibrations have been applied to the intelligent all-wheel drive, all-wheel steering, torque vectoring by braking, configurable dynamics and active locking rear differential. These changes aim to enhance responsiveness and deliver a more focused driving experience. The Range Rover Sport SV Carbon will make its global debut at Range Rover House during Monterey Car Week on August 13. Local availability is expected from late 2025, with pricing starting at R3,822,300.

Springboks eager to stamp their authority in Rugby Championship
Springboks eager to stamp their authority in Rugby Championship

The Citizen

time11 hours ago

  • The Citizen

Springboks eager to stamp their authority in Rugby Championship

The Springboks will be aiming to defend their Rugby Championship title, and key to that will be getting off to a good start at home against the Wallabies. The Springboks will be looking to stamp their authority during the Rugby Championship and hammer home their status as the top team in world rugby and the side to beat heading towards the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027. The Boks superbly backed up their 2023 World Cup triumph in France with a fantastic 2024, in which they won 11 out of 13 games, won the full (double round) Rugby Championship for the first time, and enjoyed an unbeaten end-of-year-tour to the UK. Their two losses came in one-point thrillers, with Ireland needing a drop goal after the fulltime hooter to win in Durban, while a fringe side was edged by Los Pumas in Argentina. With coach Rassie Erasmus and his management team continuing to evolve the Boks and strengthen their depth, they now have a great chance to make a big statement to the rest of the world in 2025 that they are seriously going for the three-peat in 2027. It has been an underwhelming start to the season for the Boks, as they have yet to be seriously challenged, so they may be heading into the Rugby Championship a tad undercooked. They crushed a well-known but ageing invitational Barbarians side 54-7 in their opening match, before easily dispatching Italy 42-24 and 45-0, and then cruising to a 55-10 win over second-tier Georgia. With the opposition not the strongest, the Boks took the opportunity to give fringe players game time, tried out some combinations and mixed it up with some innovative plays during their four matches so far. Wallabies up next However, they now head into the meat of the season, and defending their Rugby Championship title will be at the top of their agenda. Starting off at home against the Wallabies is probably the perfect way for them to build up a head of steam, heading into a huge two-game tour of New Zealand against the All Blacks. Australia are not the strongest opposition, but they look to be a much improved team from last year when the Boks dispatched them easily 33-7 and 30-12 Down Under. They will also have plenty of momentum and motivation after an impressive showing against the British and Irish Lions, where despite losing the series 2-1, they were very unlucky to lose the second Test and won the admittedly dead rubber finale over the past weekend. So they definitely can't be underestimated, but if the Boks can up their game from what they have produced so far this season, they should be able to comfortably deal with them on home turf. Rest of the season If they can start as expected, with two bonus-point wins against the Wallabies, that will set up their tour to New Zealand, where the Boks will be chasing a famous win over the All Blacks in Auckland, as well as in Wellington. The final two games of the Rugby Champs are against Argentina in Durban, and at Twickenham in England to close out the competition, and if they have sewn up the championship by then, they may use that game to shake things up a bit. The Boks then face the small matter of a four-game end-of-year-tour to the UK and Europe, where they will face Ireland and France on their home turf, and they will be keen to lay down a marker there as well.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store