Oliver Rowland delighted the Japanese fans as he placed his Nissan on Julius Baer Pole Position in Tokyo. The first Formula E race in Japan has had incredible crowds waving their Nissan flags passionately, and were celebrating in their thousands as the Yorkshireman won his Final in the Duels.
Speaking about his eighth pole position in the all-electric World Championship, Rowland said the feeling was “quite incredible” to start from the front of the grid at the team’s home race.
QUALIFYING REPORT: Rowland surges to home pole for Nissan in Tokyo
“The tracks is cool and this is such a big challenge for the drivers,” he stated after an intense qualifying session. “I was just enjoying driving it to be honest! I think we couldn't ask for a better start, with back-to-back podiums, second pole this season and puts us in a good stead for the rest of the season.”
This is Rowland’s second pole of the season, having done the business in Diriyah, Round 3, too. He’s also on a roll of two back-to-back podiums, having achieved third place in both Riyadh and São Paulo.
“It's a bit different from the first pole I had in Diriyah,” he confessed. “The first one was more of a relief. For this one, I've already got one eye on the race later so hopefully fingers crossed that we can keep it at the sharp end and do a good job.
“I knew I had pace this morning and honestly I didn't feel super relaxed. None of my laps were perfect, which is what I was looking for, and it was all a bit up here but in the end I managed to get the job done and for sure, the next few hours are going to be very stressful.”
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