Oliver Rowland is looking to build upon his performance in Season 10 with Nissan next year as the Gen3 Evo era comes to Formula E.
The Brit enjoyed his best season in the all-electric series to date in 2023/24, as he grabbed two wins and seven podiums to finish the year with 156 points.
Despite missing the double-header in Portland due to illness, Rowland still finished the season in fourth, 42 points behind the champion Pascal Wehrlein. Nissan registered fourth place in the Teams’ Championship in Season 10, which is their best finish since the 2019/20 season.
Rowland carried the team on his back last season, as his teammate Sacha Fenestraz was considerably outperformed by the 32-year-old as he could only manage 26 points all year.
For the 2024/25 season, Nissan have brought back Norman Nato after his departure from Andretti, and the Japanese outfit and Rowland have high hopes for the Frenchman next year.
Norman Nato needs to help Oliver Rowland at the front at Nissan in Season 11
Beginning his Formula E career with Venturi in 2020/21 – where he grabbed his first and only win in the series in Berlin – Nato raced with Nissan back in Season Nine.
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That year, the Frenchman enjoyed his best season to date, grabbing one podium and scoring points eight times to finish 10th in the standings. Nato moved to Andretti for Season 10 and had an identical record but scored 16 fewer points to finish 15th.
The 32-year-old brings a wealth of experience to Nissan with his career outside of FE in the WEC and he has previously worked with the team. Speaking in Madrid from pre-session testing, Rowland believes Nato can ‘help at the front’ and aid Nissan in their bid to challenge Porsche and Jaguar.
“I think we both joined at the same time in Formula E, so I think now we probably have more experience,” he said.
“Obviously, Norman comes with a lot of experience from quite a lot of different teams. So, I think he can share that in terms of a technical background and last year, I think you saw against Jake he did a pretty good job, maybe didn’t quite have the same points in the end but his pace in qualifying was every bit as good.
“So, for sure he brings good speed, good feedback and hopefully he can be there in the races because quite often last year it was just me against four Porsches and four Jaguars!
“Hopefully he can get up to speed quickly and be there to help at the front, that’s what you need him for.”
Can Nissan make a step up in Formula E in 2024/25?
Nissan have big ambitions in FE for the future and they arguably have the driver pairing that can take them to the front.
The team were badly let down by Fenestraz last season, as Rowland’s impressive performances carried the team to fourth. The Swiss driver’s 26 points ultimately put the Japanese outfit 186 points behind the champions Jaguar.
Rowland has stressed that Nissan must find consistency in Season 11. With Nato joining the team, who has a history of competing at the front in machinery that is not necessarily expected to do so, they have the tools they need to compete with their rivals regularly.
Despite this exciting duo, Nato’s deal at Nissan should be viewed as temporary, as they plot an ambitious move for either Antonio Felix Da Costa or Mitch Evans for the 2025/26 season.