Oliver Rowland will compete in the Punta del Este ePrix with the Mahindra Formula E Team, replacing the injured Nick Heidfeld.
Heidfeld will not race with the team in Uruguay after the German sustained ligament damage to his wrist and was told by doctors after undergoing minor surgery that he was to rest, but would be fit again to compete in Buenos Aires in February.
“During the Putrajaya ePrix, I damaged a ligament in my left wrist when the steering wheel snapped out of my hand,” said Heidfeld. “On the advice of my doctors, I have undergone an operation to repair it. Unfortunately this means that I will miss the next race in Punta del Este but I wish the team well and hope they return from Uruguay with a Christmas stocking full of points.”
Rowland, who is the Formula Renault 3.5 Champion, has been called in by Mahindra and will partner Bruno Senna for the third round of the 2015/16 season. As well as racing in FR3.5, the British driver has also competed in the GP2 Series this year and most recently, competed in their end of season test in Abu Dhabi.
“After a successful year, I am excited to have this opportunity to extend my season further and race the M2Electro,” said 23-year-old, Rowland.
“Formula E represents many aspects of the future of motorsport and it gained huge traction in the first season. It has one of the most competitive driver line-ups and I am looking forward to some close racing among them and I hope to show what I can do.
It will be a steep learning curve to get to grips with the new electric racing technology but I’m sure that once the visor goes down, we will have some fun. I intend to make the most of this opportunity and extract the maximum out of the car. Thank you to Mahindra Racing for the opportunity and I wish Nick Heidfeld a quick recovery.”
Throughout his season in the World Series by Renault with Fortec Motorsports, Rowland set a new record of eight wins in 2015 and also scored points in his first GP2 race with MP Motorsport at Silverstone, the British driver’s home race.
CEO and Team Principal of Mahindra Racing Formula E Team, Dilbagh Gill, also commented on the arrival of Oliver Rowland by saying: “…We are delighted that we have Oliver in the car for the race in Uruguay.
It is a huge shame that Nick will miss a race following his surgery and we have sought the very best young talent to continue the strong momentum that Nick has established with the team and the development of the M2Electro.
Oliver is a driver of proven, record breaking skill and has exactly the drive and attitude we appreciate at Mahindra Racing. We wish Nick well and look forward to seeing him back behind the wheel in Buenos Aires.”
