Jun 30, 2024; Portland, Oregon, USA; Oliver Rowland (22) of Nissan Formula E Team races in the qualifying rounds of the 2024 Hankook Portland E-Prix at Portland International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Lydia Ely-USA TODAY Sports
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Nissan's Oliver Rowland claimed his first Formula E victory of the season in Mexico City on Saturday in a thrilling second round of the all-electric championship.
Starting from fourth, Rowland put in an outstanding performance to secure the Japanese manufacturer's 20th win.
"This one was tough, but I have no regrets. It was very emotional for me. You put in a lot of work and this is a once-in-a-lifetime win and in front of this crowd. It was really special," Rowland said at a press conference.
Defending champion Pascal Wehrlein returned to the podium after a dispiriting crash in the season opener at Sao Paulo last month, finishing third behind Porsche team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa in second.
"I'm not thinking about what happened in Brazil," said Wehrlein. "Every race is different and we have to do our best every time."
The race turned after a yellow flag with just five laps to go. Rowland seized the opportunity to go on the attack, overtaking Andretti's Jake Dennis to take the lead. Dennis finished fourth after a thrilling battle with the Porsche drivers on a cloudy Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
The next round will be in Jeddah on Feb. 14.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Toby Davis)
