Oliver Rowland delivers retirement verdict in Formula E title twist

Formula E championship leader Oliver Rowland accepted he was at fault for his late spin in the opening race of the Berlin E-Prix double-header. 

The Nissan driver started in third at a damp Tempelhof Airport but spent most of the race in the bottom half of the top 10, leading to a messy end to Rowland's race. 

A late safety car for David Beckmann's stricken Cupra Kiro to be recovered resulted in late-race chaos, impacting Rowland the most. 

In a late bid to make some places on lap 33, Rowland dived down the inside at Turn 6 whilst attempting to overtake Stoffel Vandoorne but also whilst getting past backmarker Felipe Drugovich. 

Unfortunately, Rowland struck Vandoorne, causing a spin which led to the 32-year-old retiring from the race.

He accepted full responsibility, although was surprised to see Drugovich not shown a blue flag to allow those fighting for position past.

"Yeah, obviously there's lapped cars in the middle of the pack, which we didn't think was meant to be a thing, but apparently it is," Rowland told RacingNews365. 

"Yeah, I was trying to make my way past Drugovich. He was also in a bit of an awkward place. I don't think he really wanted to be there either, and I just misjudged the braking and hit Stoffel."

To add to Rowland's woes, title rival Pascal Wehrlein secured second and set the fastest lap, reducing his advantage from 69 points to 50 with three races remaining.

It has increased the chances of the title not being decided until London, with Rowland needing a 58-point lead by the end of Sunday's race to seal the title in the German capital.

When asked if Wehrlein being much closer is now in the back of his mind, Rowland answered: "Yeah, but I can't focus too much on that. 

"I just need to try and do my best job that I can do tomorrow and see what I can do."