Oliver Rowland takes blame for costly Sanya E-Prix crash after chaotic Formula E race

Rowland accepts responsibility after Sanya exit

Oliver Rowland has taken full responsibility for the mistake that ended his Formula E Sanya E-Prix, admitting he was “way too optimistic” in the closing stages of a chaotic race on China’s Hainan island.

That promise unravelled late on. After slipping back towards the lower end of the top 10, Rowland believed he had an energy advantage to exploit. He attempted to press on, targeting Pascal Wehrlein, but braked too late at Turn 4 and crashed out.

“The race was going quite well,” Rowland told the press. “I just got a little bit frustrated, I think, at one point. There was a little bit of miscommunication, and then it was my fault. I braked too late.”

Energy advantage turns into late-race error

Rowland explained that his urgency came from knowing Wehrlein was short on energy, while also believing others had over-consumed during Attack Mode.

“I knew Pascal [Wehrlein] didn't have any energy, so I wanted to get past him quickly, and I thought I probably had a bit more than the guys who had over-consumed during their Attack Mode,” he said.

“They were a bit optimistic, then I was way too optimistic. So, I guess sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's on me.”

It was a rare self-inflicted error from Rowland, but one he did not attempt to soften. In a race defined by contact, shifting track position and confusion over the competitive picture, the decisive moment was his own misjudgement under braking.

Staying calm became Rowland’s biggest challenge

Rowland’s race had already been physically and mentally demanding before the crash. One of the largest incidents came at the exit of the Turn 9 hairpin, where Sébastien Buemi hit the Nissan driver.

Asked how difficult it was to stay composed while being hit repeatedly, Rowland admitted it had been a real test.

“It's actually quite difficult to stay calm. I think that's the biggest thing,” he said. “It's easy to get frustrated, and there were certain points in the race when I was frustrated, but I think I've started to recover from that more quickly.”

Despite the retirement, Rowland’s title position was not damaged, as Mitch Evans also failed to score. Rowland remains 19 points behind Evans, but his own verdict on the day was blunt: “Not really good enough on my behalf.”