After a disappointing qualifying session in which he only claimed the eighth-fastest time in his group, resulting in a 16th-place grid slot, Rowland made excellent progress in the second half of the race.
The Yorkshireman had broken into the top 10 by lap 33, and then dispatched an ailing Nick Cassidy and Stoffel Vandoorne to sit eighth and on course for a solid haul of points.
But after Porsche had enacted its strategy to extend the race to 40 laps, Mahindra had gambled on the race going one lap shorter, leaving Rowland in an energy predicament – which sent him tumbling down the order to finish 16th.
Rowland reckoned Porsche had indulged in a bit of gamesmanship in its decision to take the race to 40 laps, and simply wanted to show how much it had in reserve.
He added that in most situations, Mahindra’s strategy to aim for 39 laps would have usually worked out.
“The Porsche pace was quite impressive. I think they probably did that last lap just to show everyone how good they were…
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