Sacha Fenestraz has not been able to stick it in Formula E after two seasons in the all-electric series.
The French-Argentine driver, who finished second in Super Formula in 2022, made his debut in Formula E that year with Dragon / Penske Autosport at the season finale in Seoul, finishing 16th.
For the 2022/23 season, Fenestraz moved to Nissan in a full-time seat alongside Norman Nato. The 25-year-old achieved a best finish of fourth in Monaco and Jakarta and finished 16th in the standings.
Fenestraz was outperformed by Nato across the season, as the Frenchman managed one podium and 63 points in 10th place, while Fenestraz scored points only four times to grab a total of 32 points.
The 25-year-old would stay with Nissan for Season 10 and aimed to be a team leader. But as he would soon find out, that would be a huge challenge.
Max Verstappen told Oliver Rowland that he would ‘overshadow’ him in Formula 1
Fenestraz was joined at the Japanese outfit by Oliver Rowland, who moved over from Mahindra. The Brit was entering his seventh season in FE having claimed one win and six podiums up to this point.
Almost immediately, it was clear who the number one driver was at Nissan as Rowland displayed some brilliant driving to win two races – his third coming at the final race in London – and seven podiums to record his best season ever with fourth in the standings.
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The 32-year-old’s experience in the series proved vital for his success in 2023/24 and produced some standout performances while Fenestraz struggled. Speaking with Motorsport.com’s Latin-American edition, the French-Argentine driver revealed that even three-time F1 champion Max Verstappen is in awe of Rowland’s ability.
“I came into the season saying to myself ‘I want to be the leader of the team, I want to beat him’ but I think it was unrealistic because we are talking about Rowland, who was in his seventh season in Formula E,” he said.
“For me it was only my second season. It’s a championship that if you look at it, all the drivers at the front are drivers who have been in Formula E for years, they have a lot of experience, they are also much older drivers.
“And me, at 24 years old [at the time], I don’t have the same experience as a driver like him and also, Oliver at his best is easily on a par with Verstappen.
“He’s very good friends with Verstappen and this year Verstappen was telling Oliver that it’s a pity he’s not in Formula 1 because he’d be overshadowing him, so people inside motorsport know the potential he has.”
Sacha Fenestraz looks set to miss out on a Formula E seat for the 2024/25 season
Following the conclusion of Season 10, Fenestraz was eventually dropped by Nissan in favour of the returning Nato.
Fenestraz has been desperate to keep his Formula E career alive as he searches for a seat for Season 11. The 25-year-old had been in discussions with backmarkers ERT over a potential move.
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However, ERT are set to retain their drivers Sergio Sette Camara and Dan Ticktum for the 2024/25 campaign. The team are due to announce a rebranding as they reportedly move over to being a Porsche customer team.
With Sette Camara and Ticktum set to complete the FE grid for Season 11, unless he joins a team as a reserve driver, it most likely spells the end of Fenestraz’s career in the category.