Official: Norman Nato receives new Formula E contract alongside Oliver Rowland at his ex-team Nissan

After one season with Andretti, Norman Nato's return to Nissan is complete: the Frenchman will be Oliver Rowland's team-mate at the Japanese manufacturer's works team for the 2024/25 season. Nissan made the announcement in a press release on Wednesday morning. Nato replaces his compatriot and former team-mate Sacha Fenestraz, who is leaving the team after two seasons.

This makes it clear that the Frenchman will start his fourth full Formula E season at the beginning of December. Nato's whereabouts in the electric series was uncertain after Andretti announced to replace Nato with Nico Müller, recently also Porsche works driver.

Nato had already been tipped as favourite for the second Nissan cockpit a week ago when it was announced that Fenestraz would not be given a third season with the team despite having a valid contract. Fenestraz had clearly lost out to his team-mate in both Nissan seasons: in 2023, he lost out to Nato by 32 points to 63, and in the following season to Oliver Rowland by 26 points to 156. When asked by e-Formula.news, Fenestraz himself said that he had been "expecting a much stronger year".

Norman Nato has contested 49 races in the electric series so far in his career. His greatest success was winning the 2021 Berlin E-Prix with Venturi. He has also finished on the podium once each with Nissan and Andretti, most recently at the Shanghai E-Prix last May.

"I'm very happy to be part of the team again," says Nato. "We finished season 9 strongly together and I want to pick up where we left off. We want to perform right from the start. The fact that I know the car and the team will help me to do that." Together with his new team-mate Rowland, he is hoping for "a few podium finishes" and a good working relationship. "We want to win races and championships," he says.

Warm words for Fenestraz: "Not an easy decision"

He wishes his predecessor and previous team colleague Fenestraz all the best: "He's a great guy, and it's never easy to replace someone you've worked with before. I'm sure we'll be racing against each other again very soon."

Team principal Tommaso Volpe also says: "We have to say goodbye to Sacha, even though it was not an easy decision to make. He has been an essential part of building and developing the Nissan Formula E Team and we thank him for his hard work and always positive attitude. We are proud to have grown together with him and wish him all the best for his future career."

2 Seasons, 32 races, and a million memories. @sachafenestraz thank you for your hard work and ever positive attitude, we wish you all the best in the future ?@Nissan #NissanFormulaE #FeelElectric pic.twitter.com/MGQ0HO7erq

— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) September 11, 2024

Nevertheless, Volpe is looking ahead and is looking forward to his "fresh" driver line-up: "Norman knows the team well and has already proven his talent in his previous time with us. His feedback and insights are valuable, and he has a track record of developing cars, so we are delighted to have him back."

Rowland confirmed - "Both are team players"

It was already clear beforehand that Rowland would remain with the team, even if it was not officially communicated. "Oli had a fantastic season 10 and we are confident that he can continue at this level. We believe that Norman and Oli will make a strong team. Both are team players and will do their best to help us improve next year," Volpe believes.

Rowland himself says: "I'm looking forward to continuing with the Nissan Formula E Team after a very strong year. I've known Norman for a few years now. He's very experienced and knows the team well and I'm looking forward to working with him. I would also like to say farewell to Sacha. I enjoyed working with him in season 10 and I hope to see him back on the grid soon."

The eleventh Formula E season starts on December 7 in Sao Paulo.

additional reporting by Timo Pape