OLIVER Rowland began the defence of his Formula E title with a second-placed finish in São Paulo in the opening race.

The 32-year-old from Penistone qualified in 13th in Brazil, having been given a three-place penalty from the last race of last season in London.

But he made his way up to fourth on the first lap and led at one point before finishing second. He made contact with the car of his Nissan team-mate Norman Nato who crashed out.

He said: “I’m pleased to achieve such a great result after a tough start to the day.

“We narrowly missed out on the duels in qualifying and, with the three-place grid penalty carrying over from London, it was always going to be tricky.

“We were a bit lucky with the timing of full course yellows and safety cars, but ultimately, we did an excellent job to gain 11 places and clinch second.

“It’s going to be extremely tight this season so it’s about maximizing the results when you get the opportunity to score big.

“It’s 18 more points than I got there last year so I’m pleased with that as we head to Mexico.”

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s great to score a podium on the opening weekend of the new season.

“Oli and Norman showed great pace in the race and both looked like they were going to collect a good amount of points.

“However, they made contact between them and, while we know these things can happen in motor racing, it’s of course very frustrating for the whole team.

“We’ll review the situation as a team to avoid anything like this in the future, but overall we’re happy to collect a trophy and start the campaign in a positive way.

“We will now be fully focused on the next race in Mexico, which is like a second home for us as the country is such a significant market for Nissan, and we’ll aim to replicate the success that we enjoyed there in season 11.”

The second race of season is due to take place on January 10 in Mexico City.