Original subtitles

Pretty special, isn't it?

There always just feels like there's a gravity around this event

and all the names of the people who have won here over the years.

To have won a race in Monaco,

to be etched somewhere in writing is pretty special.

You know, last year and years gone by, for me in Formula E,

it's been a case of, like, "Qualify and go home," almost, like…

Unless you're very lucky.

There's obviously more pressure now, but that's fine.

I'm confident.

It's just there's more expectation when you're in a car

that's actually capable of doing something, you know?

So, yeah, just a bit more pressure, but that's fine.

Doesn't bother me.

Er…

People that sit in the outside lane…

entitled cyclists…

wokeness.

There's a few things. There's many.

What are you looking at to get yourself back on track this week?

Do you come into this in a good head space?

You look happy, you're smiling. How's the new car, by the way?

Yeah, not my favorite cup of tea.

Some races are worse than others.

But I would say, like,

it can be back-to-back for three, four hours, one to the other.

And if you're leading the championship like I am, then it's… full.

First victory ever in Mexico City

for Oliver Rowland and Nissan!

Only one driver can win the championship,

and that potentially could be Oliver Rowland.

That race in Mexico City, it put down a marker.

Another podium for Rowland here in Jeddah.

That's second place for the Briton.

You know, he doesn’t mess about.

He’ll either overtake you or he’ll make contact with you.

He is a fiercely competitive driver.

He’s also, you know, a strategic master when it comes to understanding Formula E.

Oli Rowland crosses the line

to win here at the second Jeddah E-Prix by more than five seconds.

Absolutely incredible.

This is the hairpin. Do they call it the Fairmont hairpin?

It's pretty famous. It's been around for years.

There's been quite a lot of crashes here, 'cause it only really fits two cars just.

You just feel lucky when you look at stuff like this though,

you know, from where I came from.

And every time I come to a place like this,

it's like, "Wow, I'm still here."

I grew up in a small town called Penistone, near Barnsley.

It's quite different to the world I'm in now.

Oliver.

I lived in a bungalow on a cul-de-sac.

We didn't have a huge amount of money growing up.

But I was always lucky that my parents worked really hard

and gave me everything they could.

Yeah, it was a good childhood.

Got a bike!

- Where's your car? - There.

Is that your car?

My dad was always very into bikes.

He knew and understood racing. Clearly, he enjoyed that side of life.

And then he got me a quad bike at two and a half.

I remember spending hours and hours on that quad at the local field.

I absolutely loved it and I would go whenever I could.

Because of that, I quickly got into motorsport.

And so I spent a lot of my childhood traveling around,

going go-karting with my dad in the back of the car and trailer.

Even from a young age, I was convinced that's what I was doing.

My parents were able to support me as much as they could.

And before the age of seven or eight, we were relatively okay.

Like, we had everything we needed.

But when my karting started to get serious…

my dad went through, like, a bit of a career change

and started earning less money,

and that was a real pinch point for us.

I was very much aware of it from, like, ten years old.

We were constantly fighting just to get to races.

I think it would be safe to say my parents struggled to…

to make ends meet for quite a number of years.

I think he used to sign a few rubber checks to get me on the grid…

…back in the day when it was checks.

In the world of motorsport,

to make it to the point I'm at now is almost impossible

without the right backing.

So, for someone from my background,

to get the opportunities that I got is very, very rare.

When I arrived in Monaco for the first time,

I remember having goosebumps.

It's a track I really like.

It's a track that's never really clicked on the day.

And now, in Formula E, I'm ready to make my own mark in Monaco,

and I would love to win there.

- And then that's yours in two years' time. - No, it's not.

- Yeah, it is. - No, it's not.

When you’ve won, like, every race, and just rolling in it like that.

Okay.

- Nice spot here, Taylor, by the water. - Yes.

Could you class this a date, do you reckon?

- This is a date. - Yeah.

You're having a date with a hot blonde bird.

- I actually am. - Yeah. Older than you though.

- That’s okay. - Oh, mate.

You like it here, don’t you? You won here last year in F2.

Yeah, I do, it was also…

I know it’s not really a great topic for you,

but it was also my debut.

The brakes were a little bit cold. The track was damp, off line.

And I just slowly, gently went into the tire barrier.

I kept my hands on the wheel to try and see

if I could keep the car in one piece.

But it ripped my hands around in the steering wheel,

and somewhere, it got karate-chopped

on the bone and just snapped the bone in half.

I was like, "I know that pain…

and I know now that I'm going to be missing the race."

Clear frustration from him, but he’s actually fractured his hand.

He went to hospital, he has a cast on,

so he clearly is not going to be racing today.

So, came back, spoke to the team, spoke to you.

You looked… terrified.

I don't remember.

My brain was going a million miles an hour.

Their rookie driver, Taylor Barnard,

is going to be stepping in.

A phenomenal opportunity to showcase to the team what he can do.

Being a reserve driver, you don't ever expect to drive.

My heart rate got up a bit then.

I was very, very nervous.

I had 15 minutes before I was in the car with my helmet on.

That was a crazy time in my life

where everything kind of snowballed out of control.

He’s gonna become the youngest ever FE race starter

at 19 years and 331 days.

Of course, it was all for the right reasons.

It was all positive and everything was great.

I think part of that performance and that whole situation

has led to me being here now.

As a first weekend, it was okay. It was okay.

- Exactly. - Yeah.

Exactly.

Hopefully, this weekend, with a bit more preparation

and… a little bit more of a clean weekend.

I think you'll be on the front two rows this weekend.

- I… Bold prediction, but I hope so. - I think you'll be on the front two rows.

He's been the hottest driver on the market over this period.

On the track, he is very, very fast.

He puts the helmet on, he’s fierce. There's no messing. He'll make moves.

He'll maybe push people out of the way.

He'll defend aggressively to make sure that he stays in position.

And he has been an absolute revelation.

And actually, Oliver Rowland has been instrumental in helping Taylor.

I got doing a bit of coaching with him when he was, like, seven.

I just went and helped him out a little bit

'cause I liked his attitude and his dad was nice.

I knew with him that I could already tell he was that good and that special.

There was a kind of style in which he won, where…

he could pull away, and it was very rare at that level

that someone can be so consistent at such a young age.

With Oli, he was a key step

in some parts of my career to help me make the next step.

But now to be on the same grid, racing against him, that’s…

it feels like…

a bit strange.

There's a good feeling when you, kind of, give someone an opportunity.

I was in the same position as him and, erm…

without various people when I was younger, I wouldn’t have made it either.

Knowing Taylor throughout his career,

the ones that deserve to be there get there.

Bird broke his hand here, he got a shot, did quite a good job, and that was it.

Welcome to qualifying. This is the ultimate test of speed

where the drivers can show off what they can do with their cars.

We're down to the fastest eight drivers in the duals.

These are head-to-head fastest laps between two drivers,

and essentially, it's the winner who stays on for the quarterfinals,

all the way down to just two drivers in the final.

Semi-final, Taylor Barnard versus Dan Ticktum,

and it’s the championship leader, Oliver Rowland,

awaiting the winner of this dual in the final.

See, it's about having your mother here, you see?

Bring him all the good luck.

Yeah. The pressure’s on.

Dan Ticktum, stand-out performance so far today,

top of the class in both free practice sessions.

There's an opportunity for pole position

on the cards here for Ticktum.

This is where Ticktum’s strong, last couple of corners.

This is where he’s been strong all day long.

A 26.4.

That is a phenomenal lap time for Dan Ticktum.

Superb qualifying from Dan Ticktum.

But here comes the rookie driver, Taylor Barnard…

and he is even faster, a tenth of a second over Dan Ticktum.

The NEOM McLaren driver is through,

and into the fight for pole position here in Monte Carlo.

And it’s over to the final then,

Oliver Rowland versus Taylor Barnard.

These two have got history.

Taylor Barnard actually used to race for Oliver Rowland’s karting team

back in the day.

Now they're fighting against each other

for the world championship.

You couldn’t write this, could you?

It’s a classic master versus apprentice story.

Barnard, he has been the standout performer of 2025.

Yeah, looks pretty good there for Barnard.

He’s picking up a bit of momentum here.

So, across the line then comes Oliver Rowland,

to start his flying lap.

Wide into the wall for Oliver Rowland!

That’s it, pole position’s over!

And now it is a formality

for Taylor Barnard to be taking pole position.

So, we have our top three on the grid,

Ticktum, P3, Rowland, P2,

and Taylor Barnard starts from pole position.

That's my boy!

Dan Ticktum, that’s a career best qualifying

for the Briton.

- Great to see. At least some progress. - Yeah.

This year, the change in Dan that I've seen with the team

has been huge.

He's settled in the team.

Cheers, mate. Yeah, it was all right. It's all right.

I can sense that he's a lot more relaxed.

And as a mother, to come and see him race this year

and be around him and the team, it's just got such a good vibe.

That was an amazing performance

from the young Briton.

Is there anything that this youngster can't do?

Ending up on pole is unexpected,

but I think one of the best laps I’ve done.

I’m very satisfied.

It’s a big deal for someone my age coming into the series

with that scope to go higher.

But I’m still very much focused on the races remaining in the season.

I love you."

Oh, that's really special.

- Thank you very much. - No problem, Mom. Thank you.

Could you just sign on my hand?

What do you… No, I'm not… Get a grip.

That's really special. Thank you so much. It means a lot.

God, she’s insane, man. She's literally insane.

People wonder where I get it from.

Well, what are we predicting on the other side of this?

- Bit of chaos? - A bit of chaos.

I’m ready to see what Dan Ticktum can do on the opening lap.

- That’s gonna be exciting. - Yeah, it’s gonna be very exciting.

- Yeah, man, feeling good? - Oh, yeah. Yeah, very good, yeah.

- Good. Is this all distracting? - Very relaxed.

- I feel like it’s such a distraction. - Oh, it’s just normal, mate.

- I’m very relaxed, so… - Yeah, you are.

- Yeah, come on, Mom, quickly. - Come on in. Come on, Mom.

- Get in here. - Come on, come on.

Photobombing all the time.

Yeah, I know.

Right, we’ll see you on the podium as well.

- Cheers. - Yeah, fingers crossed, hey?

- Enjoy it, man, enjoy it. - Cheers, mate. Thank you.

- I’ll be here, I’ll be listening. - Thanks a lot. Yeah, great.

I think winning a Formula E championship

would mean an incredible amount to me.

I've put a lot of sacrifices in over the last six years

to get myself in the position that I find myself in now with the team,

and the car, and the performance.

It's been a lot of hard work.

Oliver Rowland is off to a flying start in this season.

He really could have won every race so far.

He's been the in-form man.

But as we've seen historically in Formula E,

nothing's guaranteed in terms of the championship.

Rowland chops over.

Oh, and Dan Ticktum as Barnard leads him down towards the first corner.

Rowland crashed in qualifying, and in the two hours we’ve had in between,

they would’ve had to repair some bits, but maybe there’s some lingering damage.

But let’s see what happens there for Oliver Rowland.

Second he is, at the moment.

Ticktum’s lost a place off the start.

Side by side, then de Vries feeling the need to defend.

I think Ticktum went across the chicane.

Yeah, the stewards will be coming down on it

like a ton of bricks.

Taylor Barnard still up in the lead.

But look at Rowland trying on the inside against Taylor Barnard,

into the swimming pool chicane.

Barnard takes the escape road. That’s gonna cost Rowland potentially.

So, Barnard there with his elbows out,

more of the aggressive racing

that we’ve seen from the youngster this year.

Ticktum’s lost another place.

Something else has happened, and he's gone from fifth to seventh.

Unfortunately for Taylor Barnard,

some mistakes earlier have left him sitting in seventh on Lap 24.

- Look at Barnard there, contact! - Oh!

Into the barrier! Taylor Barnard looks to be out!

Rowland then does go for his final attack mode deployment.

But he needs to get through this pack

if he wants to win this race.

Watch Rowland now. This is it. We’re looking back from Nyck de Vries.

And nothing that Nyck de Vries can do.

Oliver Rowland into the race lead. He’s now got a 2.1-second buffer.

Oliver Rowland wins the Monaco E-Prix!

Ticktum, given his pace in qualifying,

I think he’ll see this as a missed opportunity

down in seventh place.

If you think of how many Monaco Grand Prix

or E-Prix winners there’s been, there’s really not many.

That feeling in that moment, it’s just incredible.

There’s not many people who get to stand on the podium in Monaco.

All right.

Really unlucky mate, again.

So, I don't know. It’s just…

I just cannot seem to catch a break at the moment.

It’s a real shame. Yeah, but it… Yeah. I just can’t seem to catch a break.

Slightly disappointed.

Ideally, I’d like to perform better,

but I can see where we can improve

and I’m very confident in myself and the team

that we will start to make good progress.

Yeah, cheers.

I’m hoping we can make it happen.

You and your team seem to be finding more consistency

as the season goes on.

Yeah, I think we are getting there.

And what lessons are you going to take on to tomorrow?

So, here we are qualifying again.

The cars are allowed to be at their most powerful setting

of 350 kilowatts and four-wheel drive.

Ticktum now begins to wind himself up for this lap.

- There's no way. Yeah. - So cautious, isn’t he?

It’s like he hasn’t got the tires talking to him.

Well, he looked all at sea in the first sector.

Yeah, I am.

So, it appears that Ticktum's team

have got the wrong setting on the car here,

giving him 50 kilowatts less power and only two-wheel drive.

There was something that cost you a better result today.

What was it?

The team just messed up what mode the car should be in

and I didn't get 350.

You didn't get to do the 350 lap?

Well, I got 350 on the out lap,

and then it canceled on the start-finish straight,

so that's just great, isn't it?

I've done my job this weekend, so, you know, that's just not good enough.

So, next few hours to get into shape for the race

and see what you can do there?

Yeah, I suggest I don't talk to my team for at least two hours

because I think I might punch someone.

Thanks, Dan.

Come on, let's be honest though, it's funny to watch,

but the team are there when you're doing well,

and you've gotta be there for the team when things aren't going so well, so…

You know, I'd put him in a room with a mirror

if he wants to go and punch somebody.

I mean, for Dan to say something like that, you know,

"I might punch someone," on air, live, it's just not acceptable.

You know, when you're at this kind of level,

a world-class athlete, you can't get away with it.

I was angry.

That was not great.

But…

…I strongly think I would have been on pole on Sunday in the wet.

So, yeah.

Oh, Ticktum in the wall! Ticktum’s in the wall down at Mirabeau!

Straight off!

You know, it ended my race.

It was one of those weekends. There was a sort of host of bad luck.

I feel like I should have had at least another ten, 15 points from that weekend.

Dan and Cupra Kiro have got the tools,

but they haven't yet fully maximized the potential of what they've got.

The error in qualifying, not going into the high-power mode,

was really costly, and it's not the sort of stuff

you should be doing halfway through the season.

So, you can have Cheerios or cornflakes. Go on, you put them back.

We moved to Dubai last year.

It's been a big change,

but definitely a big improvement for us as a family.

Should we do the airplane?

Ah!

Mm.

Mm!

Where's your hairbrush that I got you?

It’s hurting me!

I know, but you just have to get used to it.

Growing up, everything was about racing,

and it was like that for such a long time.

But I think, you know, when Harper came along,

we really united as a family.

Priorities change a lot, and that changes over time.

You know, the first year, you're kind of…

acclimatizing to life as parents,

but then once they become their own little people,

I don't think there's anything more special in life.

Who's driving to school, me or you?

You're going to look back on this one day and be very embarrassed.

Yeah.

He loves that girl so much. He just wants to do everything with her.

And there isn't a day that goes by

where he's not on the phone speaking to her, if she's around.

He loves having a family and loves kids.

When I was 18 years old, my dad passed away.

That was a pretty tough period for us as a family.

There you go.

Wow, so pretty.

You're almost as good looking as Daddy.

And I think because of that,

Harper is the most important thing to me in life now.

All right, come on then. Let's go.

Otherwise, we're going to be late. We're already late.

- All right, let's go. - Kisses.

There's times when,

obviously, having to spend a lot of time away from home

can be really difficult, and I… I miss them a lot.

Harper's old enough to notice that I'm away.

She's starting to ask more questions like, "Where are you going? Why are you going?"

So, when I get home, I'm re-energized to be at home.

I'm going home to see the girls and, you know, we can do some stuff.

We can go swimming. We can go to the water park.

There's just plenty of stuff that we can do.

I try to just make the time that I'm there valuable.

Do you wanna put your bags on your… You do it?

Love you. Have fun.

- Go on then, go. - Come on then.

See you later.

It's a nice balance that I have now because racing,

I still feel as passionate about it.

But at the same time, I also have this family life to the other side.

I think even since the '90s, I want to say, it's been like…

very well known, as, like, a car meet place.

I've probably been to Tokyo, like, 15 times.

And every year I've been here,

I've always put it off for one reason or the other.

You know, people in Tokyo

and Japan in general, have some very Marmite cars.

Like, some of them are horrendous, but, like, good.

Kind of like what I'm wearing.

And some of it's unbelievable. Like, some of the coolest cars you'll see.

So, I've got to see this.

You know, it's not that late, so we're good.

You know, if we see some Liberty Walk stuff,

I'll already be fully erect.

Hell yeah.

Oh, right. Let's have a look.

Hell yeah! Oh, yes!

Yeah, that’s fucking sick.

Oh, my God, that is fucking sick.

- Is this yours? - Oh, it's mine, bro.

- It's fucking sick. - It's mine. Oh, thank you so much.

It's so cool. I wanted to see this.

- When? - Machine.

A lot of drivers will say that people like Senna and Schumacher,

they were very, very fit and very dedicated,

and so they were very successful.

So, for many years, people in motorsport have been like,

"This is what you need to be to be successful."

That's bullshit, if you ask me. People are very different.

The way I perform best,

and I know after many years… …of being in the sport,

is that doing things that I want to do in the moment on a race weekend

are very important.

Just do what makes me relaxed and happy at the time.

That's how I get the best out of myself.

Thank you very much.

- Thank you. - Thanks, bro. Thank you, man.

- Thank you. Appreciate it. - Let's keep in touch.

- Appreciate it. Thank you, man. - Thank you.

- Enjoy! - That was fucking sick.

- Thank you so much. - Thank you.

Thank you. Man!

I mean…

So, yeah, awesome.

Very happy and very glad I came, definitely.

A very good morning, and welcome to Tokyo.

We've got to decide the grid.

We get a proper chance to see who will line up where.

Coming out of Monaco, I've got this feeling

that the Cupra Kiro team have got so much potential.

They haven't really made use of it to get the results.

As we head to Tokyo, they've got to start delivering.

Oliver Rowland, championship leader,

but he was slowest this morning in FP3.

Taylor Barnard in the NEOM McLaren. We know that there's pace in that car,

we've seen it over the course of this season.

They will be looking for a turnaround in fortunes.

First part of qualifying done

and it's not what McLaren or Taylor Barnard would have wanted.

He's down in ninth for the start of today's race.

Dan Ticktum, so good to see him flying again like in Monaco.

Pole, though, for Rowland, could keep his championship on track here.

So, the dual final, Ticktum versus Rowland.

Dan Ticktum, it is all on the line here for the Briton

as he comes across to begin his one and only flying lap.

So, Ticktum through the first sector,

29.5, that is an absolute stonker!

Dan is driving this car like a man possessed.

I have never seen anything like it.

But Ticktum's run for pole position has come to an end.

Big impact there on the exit of turn 15.

Oh, what a shame!

Oliver Rowland is going to be gifted pole position.

Oh, bollocking hell!

Fuck's sake, man!

I just pushed it slightly too far on that lap.

I very rarely say "that was special" about myself.

But that was probably the best lap I've ever done in a Formula E car,

until I put it in the wall.

However, would I have changed how I approached that?

Probably not, actually.

Sorry, guys. Sorry, guys.

Yeah, thank you, mate. Yeah, thank you.

That's why, you know, you've got to go and give it your all.

It's that simple.

You win, you win, you win!

- I win! Yay! - Yay!

Yay! Give me a kiss.

What we've seen from Oliver Rowland

has been truly unique in Formula E.

We've not seen anyone string together that many strong results.

He really is having the season of a lifetime.

Obviously, he's thinking about the championship now.

He's just going from strength to strength. He's consistently quick in every session.

The thing that I always say and surprises me

is how strategic he can be in interpreting the race.

And he can think five, ten steps ahead.

He can read the race in a very intelligent way.

But this weekend, there are big expectations…

because we are the only Japanese car brand involved in the sport.

So, it's important for us to perform well in front of our crowd.

As we enter this sector,

Rowland still leads here, with Dan Ticktum right on his tail.

Look at this,

a smorgasbord of drivers at the start of lap seven.

Everybody but leader Oliver Rowland, into attack mode then in the top ten.

Attack mode this season has been a massive change.

You can use it twice during the course of the race

and it gives every driver an extra boost of energy

from 300 to 350, and all-wheel drive.

The ultimate goal is, of course, to make sure you use it

at the right point in the race…

to maximize the use of having that extra energy.

Goes to the inside for the race lead,

down to the first corner. Dan Ticktum leads for Cupra Kiro!

Go on, son! Come on!

Barnard’s been able to make a position there.

Possibly looking to threaten Oliver Rowland.

Looking to the outside, there’s a bit of contact!

Here comes Barnard, through and up into second.

Is there anything this rookie will not do

in a Formula E car?

Rowland's now moved behind Pascal Wehrlein.

So, three places lost over the course of one lap then for Oliver Rowland.

Wehrlein through on Dan Ticktum. The Porsche driver now leads the race.

Well, I wonder if this could be the undoing of Oliver Rowland,

and whether the Nissan team

have made a mistake in terms of the strategy call here.

By not taking the attack mode earlier,

they're finding it really difficult to cycle through.

They've been bullied back down the pack. They're now stuck in sixth place.

So, Rowland takes attack mode,

drops behind, but now he's gotta be able

to pull himself back to the front from here.

All or nothing time. He's gonna throw everything at this one.

And now it's fourth place at the start of lap 23.

Wehrlein tries to push Rowland to the outside,

but Rowland goes through and into the race lead!

Look at Wehrlein challenging Oliver Rowland,

down into the chicane! Side-by-side! Contact between the two!

Oh, Barnard's in the wall!

So, on to the final lap.

Nissan's strategy looks like it's paid off beautifully.

It was risky, but it's a good one.

We come down now into the final chicane.

An imperious performance from Oliver Rowland,

who's going to win this one in Nissan's backyard.

Yes! Yay!

What a result! Dan Ticktum crosses the line in P3!

Yeah! Come on!

The first ever career podium in Formula E

for Dan Ticktum for Cupra Kiro.

I do feel like I've missed out on a lot of results.

Tokyo definitely should have been a podium.

However, if I look at my season so far as a whole, it's been pretty good.

And hopefully, more to come.

I’m really glad you got your first podium, bro.

- Yeah. - Well done.

Well done.

What a weekend, mate! Cheers, man! Appreciate it.

That was super good.

- Yeah! - Super cool, calm.

- Cheers, mate. Thank you. Cheers, Jake. - Good job, buddy.

Dude, let’s go.

No worries. Cheers, mate. Cheers, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Big hugs for everyone.

It's the winner!

Stop it!

What a race.

You deserved that so much.

- Unbelievable. - I thought I'd screwed it.

- You won? - You want to cuddle?

- You want to cuddle with Daddy? - Come here.

Go on, go to the podium. I'll see you there.

Yeah? See you in a bit!

I think this is Oli’s best chance so far

of fighting for a championship.

Nissan have raised their game massively this year,

and I think he’s put himself and the team

in a fantastic position to fight for their first championship.

Dan Ticktum,

this man onto the Formula E podium for the first time,

and that is a thoroughly well-deserved result,

not only for him, but also for the Cupra Kiro team.

Very special moment. The First podium is great…

but look,

as soon as I was out the car, you know, I was thinking,

"That should’ve been first or second, that race."

Wasn’t like, "Oh, I’ve got a podium, I’m sorted for next year."

You need to keep proving the point.

I know if the car is where it should be, I will get results.

Rowland just looks like a guy who can wrap the title up

with at least two races to spare,

which you just would never have forecast before the season began.

And even the roll of the dice and the look he’s going from as well.

He made one comment to his engineer,

saying that he must’ve done something good in a previous life.

Cue carnage and fucking, you know, losing the title.

Whoa, forced him onto the grass!

In this sport, you need one thing.

Respect.

I've got a duty to the team

to help get the best performance out of him.

I make my move, and he then defends. Really dangerous.

It was on the limit,

but I won't take what he says too seriously.

That's what fucks me off.