Oliver Rowland's near-two-race-points drivers' championship advantage should be enough to allow him to play the percentage game in the second half of the 2024-25 Formula E season.
But a combination of Formula E's inherent sporting volatility and Rowland's racing philosophy means he won't even consider doing that.
A 48-point lead could easily be slashed to nothing in one weekend at either of the two upcoming double-headers in Tokyo and Shanghai, true. But the fact that his lead is almost unheard of in Formula E - Antonio Felix da Costa's romp to the 2019-20 title being the exception there - may also actually accelerate and accentuate Nissan and Rowland's ruthless execution dynamic that has already yielded four wins in his last eight starts.
A 50% win-rate in such a time is so rare that it is already demoralising some of his competitors. They won't admit it publicly, but some see no other home for this year's title other than at Chez Rowland.
He's about to sign a new mega deal with Nissan that could keep him there until 2028 at least. Everything in the garden is rosy for both Rowland and Nissan.
Yet, in classic Formula E fashion there are areas of vulnerability Rowland and Nissan can get sucked into and that their rivals are already exploring.
The first chink in the armour that can be explored will be how racing under the glare of pressure on Nissan's home soil in Tokyo this weekend might unsettle the ship. The bad news for any rubberneckers is that they coped with that just fine last March upon visiting Japan for the first time.
A pole and a second place for Rowland was a strong haul and while there was a touch of disappointment in losing out to Maserati MSG's Maximilian Guenther in the race, it was a super strong showing that validated the second coming of Rowland after his decision to return to his old stomping ground at Nissan.
His boss Tommaso Volpe conducts the science behind Nissan, and as a consequence often talks of chemistry. Perfecting multiple sporting, technical, organisational, and interpersonal cocktails started back in 2021-22 when the team was stuck firmly in the doldrums. Since that time a renaissance has been sculpted.
"I think we found the best chemistry between the team, the way we work at the factory and prepare races, and his intelligence and his [Rowland's] way to interpret the races is a perfect chemistry that is bringing a real holistic view on the races," Volpe tells The Race.
"He has in mind what drivers 10 positions behind him are doing and he has already this umbrella view on the race. I think this is what is making the difference."
Rowland, along with Nick Cassidy, has a strong claim to have been Gen3's most dynamic driver so far. The remarkable thing about Rowland though is that he missed half of the first Gen3 season in 2023 after he and Mahindra decided to stop their collaboration. How many other drivers would have regrouped and delivered as well as Rowland did from that position?
His form has been frightening for his nearest pursuers. In fact, he should have four wins from seven starts this season after his starring drive in the Sao Paulo opener, which looked destined for maximum points, was curtailed by a technical issue on his car. Had he won his lead would now be in excess of 65 points and he'd be realistically unassailable.
Rowland is as likely to overtly start playing the percentage game in coming races as he is to move from his new sunny residence of Dubai back to (his admittedly beloved) Barnsley. He wants to win more races this season, and Sebastien Buemi's record of six victories during the 2016-17 season already looks vulnerable.
"There's definitely a lot of twists and turns, so it's definitely not over by any stretch and I think we can still make the difference and try to close the gap," says Jake Dennis.
"What the worry is, is that he really doesn't seem to have a bad day, so we really need some misfortune for him now to lose this championship now. The problem is that when you are driving that well and have a car performing that well, it's difficult to gain these points we need.
"We really need some big points swings but he's done a great job and he's been consistent every race."
You often know when a driver is pretty much going to become a champion when rivals start to bow to what they feel is the inevitable. The inexorable march of Rowland and Nissan at present is bending the opposition into a kind of wilful submission.
The Tokyo double-header this weekend already has mood music that feels like it will be played to Rowland's tune again. Should it develop that way he may well be heading to his home race in London in just 10 weeks' time already crowned and coronated.
