Oliver Rowland details hell before Formula E world title glory: 'I could have cried'

Newly-crowned Formula E world champion Oliver Rowland detailed the hell he was feeling ahead of the second race of the Berlin E-Prix, to the extent he "could have cried" before the lights went out. The Nissan driver entered the double-header 69 points ahead of reigning world champion Pascal Wehrlein; however, a disastrous opening race retirement reduced his advantage to 50 points.  His lead was cut by a further three points after qualifying for Sunday's race, as Wehrlein clinched a stunning pole position.  It left Rowland feeling "all over the place" and genuinely expecting his lead to be slashed before the season-ending London E-Prix in a fortnight.  However, he battled his nerves and delivered a champion-like display to finish in fourth at the Tempelhof Airport circuit, whilst Wehrlein finished in a shock 16th.  The result secured Rowland a first world title, and lifted all the weight from his shoulders. "It feels mega, it hasn't sunk in yet and I don't quite realise what we've done, but yeah, I'm relieved as well," Rowland told RacingNews365 .  "At the moment, honestly, I felt a lot of pressure and weight on my shoulders before that race, because obviously Pascal was on fire this morning.  "He was super quick yesterday, like I was getting a little bit worried. So it feels great, but yeah, just looking forward to a beer."

'I felt horrible'

For a driver who looked imperious for the majority of the season, Rowland offered Wehrlein a small window of opportunity to create the most unexpected title fight.  Rowland was convinced a difficult second race would destroy his advantage, although the overwhelming emotion worked in his favour. "In my head, I was going to London with a 23 points lead," revealed the world champion. "That's the way I saw it before the race. I was nervous, I was even emotional. "I was all over the place before the race. To be honest, sometimes I actually perform my best when I feel like that. And yeah, I don't worry feeling like that anymore." Tension could be felt on the grid ahead of the race, with both Rowland and Wehrlein having recognised the significance of the E-Prix.  Going into detail on his emotions, Rowland managed to wipe it all away when joining the grid, through an old-fashioned case of getting the "blood pumping". "Before the race, I felt horrible," said Rowland. Butterflies. Felt like I could have cried at some point. That's like, before the race even started. "Then I did the warm-up lap to the grid, and I felt much better on the grid. I did, like, a lot of tyre weaving on the way there, and I think I just got the blood pumping. "I was pretty tired when I arrived on the grid, and all of a sudden I just felt way better. And yeah, from then on, I was pretty chill."