Oliver Rowland Secures Unusual Formula E Pole Ami….Read More
Oliver Rowland clinched one of the strangest pole positions in Formula E history during a wet and chaotic qualifying session for the Monaco E-Prix. The qualifying, which took place in treacherous conditions following a sudden downpour just 20 minutes before the session began, was marked by a series of bizarre events, red flags, and deleted lap times.
As rain soaked the legendary Monte Carlo circuit, chaos unfolded throughout the qualifying rounds. The drama culminated in the semi-finals when both DS Penske drivers, Jean-Eric Vergne and Maximilian Günther, were disqualified from their duel after cutting the Nouvelle chicane, violating track limits and invalidating their lap times. This unusual occurrence meant the second semi-final was nullified, allowing Rowland to secure pole position without a final duel taking place.
Earlier, Rowland had advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Antonio Felix da Costa in the quarter-finals, while Nyck de Vries beat Dan Ticktum—who was surprisingly not using the full 350kW power mode. In the first semi-final, both Rowland and de Vries went off at Sainte Devote but were not penalized, as no advantage was gained. Since Rowland completed a valid lap in the semis before the DS Penske duo’s laps were voided, he was awarded pole. De Vries, having also completed his semi-final run, will start alongside Rowland on the front row.
The session had earlier been interrupted in Group B by a red flag caused by a high-speed crash for McLaren’s Sam Bird at Sainte Devote. Though Bird was uninjured, the crash severely damaged the front of his car and necessitated barrier repairs, pausing the session with just under three minutes to go. Once resumed, drivers scrambled to get one final flying lap in, resulting in a dramatic end to the group phase.
Veteran driver Sébastien Buemi topped Group B with a time of 1:52.480, followed by Vergne, Stoffel Vandoorne, and Günther. Notably, reigning world champion Pascal Wehrlein failed to advance beyond the group stage.
Group A had already shown how much the weather was affecting performance, with lap times nearly 30 seconds slower than the previous day. Despite challenging grip levels, de Vries led the group, ahead of da Costa, Rowland, and Ticktum. ABT Lola’s Zane Maloney narrowly missed out on a duel spot by just 0.039s. Meanwhile, home favorite Mitch Evans struggled and will start from the ninth row.
In one of the wildest qualifying sessions ever seen in Formula E, Rowland emerged from the chaos with a well-earned, if unconventional, pole position—highlighting the unpredictable nature of motorsport in extreme weather.
