Rowland masters Monaco mayhem to seal second principality crown

Oliver Rowland delivered the kind of measured, ruthless drive that has become his calling card, charging from eighth on the grid to win Round 10 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship around the streets of Monte Carlo.

The Nissan driver, already a crowned World Champion after a season of resilience and racecraft, timed his ATTACK MODE strategy to perfection, sweeping past the leading group at the Nouvelle Chicane on lap 23 of 28 to take a second consecutive Monaco victory. He led home Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich, who claimed a maiden Formula E podium, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Antonio Félix da Costa completing the rostrum.

It was a result that confirmed, once again, why Nissan’s faith in the Yorkshireman has been so handsomely rewarded. As Rowland himself reflected in his recent EV Powered interview, “From Mexico to Monaco”, it is energy management and patience that separate the champions from the chasers in Gen3 Formula E. Monaco proved the point in vivid colour.

A frantic opening sets the tone

Double polesitter Dan Ticktum led the field away in his CUPRA KIRO, with da Costa slotting in behind through Sainte-Devote. The Portuguese veteran’s afternoon unravelled almost immediately, however, when contact with Mahindra Racing’s Edoardo Mortara at the Nouvelle Chicane sent him tumbling to 15th, Mortara would later be hit with a 10-second time penalty for the incident.

Citroën Racing’s Jean-Éric Vergne pounced on the chaos to climb into third, while Mortara surged through to lead by lap two, building a two-second cushion before the steward’s verdict landed.

Porsche’s Nico Müller was the first to gamble on ATTACK MODE, the 50kW all-wheel-drive boost catapulting him to the front on lap four. Jaguar’s Mitch Evans then produced the move of the race at Mirabeau on lap 11, echoing his famous Season 7 overtake at the same corner, to take the lead under ATTACK.

Rowland picks his moment

While the front-runners scrapped and shuffled, Rowland was conducting the kind of patient, energy-conscious race that has become a hallmark of the Nissan and Norman Nato line-up. The Brit kept his powder dry, conserving energy as those ahead burned through theirs in repeated lead changes.

By lap 20, da Costa had hauled himself into the lead under ATTACK and built a five-second buffer, but Rowland was lurking with both activations still in hand and crucially no rival behind with an ATTACK overlap.

The decisive blow came at the Nouvelle Chicane on lap 23, where Rowland pounced for the lead. A pair of Full Course Yellows, one for a stranded Pepe Martí after contact with Citroën’s Nick Cassidy at Rascasse, another for Taylor Barnard’s heavy shunt at Portier on lap 26 – threatened to derail his rhythm. The Nissan driver, ever unflappable, managed both restarts faultlessly to take the chequered flag.

Mortara crossed the line second on the road but slipped to fifth once his penalty was applied, gifting Drugovich a breakthrough P2 and confirming a strong response to his Berlin difficulties. Da Costa banked third, with Jaguar teammate Evans fourth and Andretti’s Jake Dennis rounding out the top six.

Ticktum, despite his double pole, could not convert. A late penalty after his end-of-race ATTACK gamble dropped the CUPRA KIRO driver to 14th and out of the points.

Championship picture tightens

Evans heads to Sanya at the top of the Drivers’ standings with Rowland breathing down his neck, while Jaguar lead Porsche in the Teams’ fight and Porsche edge Jaguar in the Manufacturers’ table. According to Motorsport.com’s analysis, it is precisely this composure under pressure that has defined Rowland’s title-winning approach, and Monaco offered the latest exhibit.

Formula E now heads east for the long-awaited return to Sanya on 20 June, the championship’s first visit to the Chinese resort city in seven seasons.

If Round 10 is anything to go by, the title fight is about to get a great deal hotter.