Oliver Rowland is hoping to build on his first Formula Two victory in Monaco last month as he continues his title push in Baku, Azerbaijan this weekend.
The 24-year-old from Penistone is currently second in the standings, three points off leader Charles Leclerc, after three of 11 stages.Renault development driver Rowland – who is hoping to win the series and earn a place in Formula One for next season – told the
Chronicle: "I am full of confidence after Monaco. It was my first in the series and a great weekend for me at a track I have always loved. It looks like the championship will come down to me against Charles, unless someone makes a move from the chasing pack. Charles has been the strongest performer so far but I just need to stay with him.
"The aim at the start of the season was to win the championship and it is looking more and more realistic. We have been doing really well in the races, but just need to qualify a bit better. That will be the key."
Rowland has had a month off from racing since the Monaco victory. As well as training and recovering from a minor illness, he has been spending time running his Northampton-based junior karting team Oliver Rowland Motorsports. He has also been able to return to Barnsley, where he has a house in Dodworth.
Oliver, who is mainly based near Renault's base in Oxfordshire, said: "I always like coming back to Barnsley."It's nice to see my mum and my brother and have some relaxation time."
Rowland picked up 20 points in the first stage of the F2 season in Bahrain, followed by 27 in both Barcelona and then Monte Carlo where he won the first race and missed out in the second which offers fewer points. He is just behind Ferrari driver Leclerc and 14 clear of the other competitors.The Azerbaijan race was introduced last season and Rowland is looking forward to the high speed racing.
"It's an interesting track. There is a two kilometre straight and you can get up to 330 kilometres per hour, so it is pretty fast with a lot of overtaking opportunities."
This event in Baku begins a hectic period of races with the series going to Spielberg in Austria, Silverstone in the UK and Budapest in Hungary – all in July. There will then be events in Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United Arab Emirates before the season concludes in the last week of November.
Rowland said: "It's a really important period of the season and I need to make sure I have a really strong month to keep me in contention going into the last few races."
