Points in Round 15 for Nato while race incidents leave World Champion Rowland empty-handed
LONDON, United Kingdom (July 29, 2024) – Nissan Formula E Team had a tough weekend at the season finale of a strong 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Racing in a special teal-blue livery to celebrate the launch of the new Nissan LEAF, Norman Nato secured points on Saturday and Rowland fought at the front on Sunday before an incident forced the Brit to retire.
In Round 15 on Saturday, Nato put in a promising performance to earn a top-10 finish. The Frenchman started 16th but quickly made his way up the order, consistently showing competitive pace and gaining seven places to come ninth. In the #23 car, recently crowned Season 11 World Champion Oliver Rowland lined up in 12th. However, damage from contact during the E-Prix hampered his progress, with the Brit ending up just over a second off a points finish in 11th.
Despite a frustrating first race of the weekend, the team worked hard and was fully focused on the final round of the season, with an opportunity to still clinch both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles. Both drivers narrowly missed out on the Duels in qualifying, lining up side-by-side in ninth and 10th. Early contact forced Nato to pit, but once he re-joined at the back of the pack he battled his way up to 11th, finishing under a second off the top-10. In the #23 car, Rowland made great early progress from 10th on the grid, swiftly moving up the order. However, the Brit had an incident while in the podium positions, which brought his race to a premature end.
Formula E now enters its off-season after another entertaining campaign, which saw Nissan Formula E Team secure four pole positions, and seven podiums including four wins. An incredible campaign from Oliver Rowland meant he clinched the Drivers’ title at the previous event in Berlin with two races to go, while the Japanese squad also took its best finish in the Teams’ Championship since the automaker fully took over the team by claiming third, with Nissan also taking third as a constructor in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s of course disappointing to finish third in both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships after leading them for parts of the season. However, if we take a step back, we can be very proud with this amazing year. We’ve achieved seven podiums and four victories, we’ve secured the Drivers’ Championship with two races to go, and we were in the fight for the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ until the very last race. We’ve been competitive throughout and we’ve matured together as a team. And our mistakes and anything that didn’t go our way during this campaign will help us to be even stronger next season.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “We struggled for pace a bit on Saturday and then got stuck behind other cars after our Pit Boost stop. It’s tough to overtake here and then I suffered contact, which denied me the chance of scoring points. On Sunday we had a better qualifying and I was able to race at the front, before an incident ended my race. It’s been a difficult weekend but, overall, Season 11 has been a remarkable one. It’s a dream come true to be World Champion and to collect the trophy! This will give us great motivation in the off-season to continue to improve and come back even better next season.”
Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “I felt like we maximized performance on Saturday by gaining seven places to take ninth. I was pleased to score points and hoped to do the same on Sunday. However, after a strong start an incident happened right in front of me which I couldn’t avoid, resulting in damage that meant I had to pit. We managed to come back through the field just missing out on points in 11th. It was a disappointing weekend in general, but everyone has done an amazing job this season to have us fighting for the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships until the very end. It’s part of the journey with the team, and we know that the squad can perform even better in the future.”
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About Nissan in Formula E
Nissan made its all-electric racing debut in Season 5 (2018/19) of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, becoming the first and only Japanese manufacturer to enter the series.
In Season 7 (2020/21), Nissan announced its long-term involvement in Formula E and its commitment to the GEN3 era, which will run from Season 9 (2022/23) through to the end of Season 12 (2025/26) of the all-electric racing series.
In April 2022, Nissan acquired the e.dams race team, with the Japanese automaker taking full ownership of its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
In June 2022, Nissan announced it would supply its Nissan EV powertrain technology to McLaren Racing for the entirety of the Formula E GEN3 era.
On 28th March 2024, ahead of the first ever Tokyo E-Prix, Nissan announced its long term commitment to Formula E, becoming the first manufacturer to sign up for the GEN4 era, which runs until 2030, reinforcing its pledge to its Ambition 2030 electrification targets.
For Season 11 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Nissan Formula E drivers are Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato.
Nissan races in Formula E to bring the excitement and fun of zero-emission electric vehicles to a global audience. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050, Nissan intends to electrify every all-new vehicle offering by the early 2030s in key markets. The Japanese automaker aims to bring its expertise in transferring knowledge and technology between the racetrack and road for better electric vehicles for customers.
About Formula E
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint from inception back in 2020, having invested in certified climate-protecting projects in all race markets to offset emissions from every season of electric racing.
All cars in the championship are powered by electricity, with the series acting as a competitive platform to test and develop the latest in electric technology.
The World’s greatest manufacturers race against each other on street circuits and Formula E promotes the adoption of sustainable mobility in city centers in a bid to combat air pollution and lessen the effects of climate change.