Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Oliver Rowland

  • Nissan confirm Rowland & Nato for 2025/26

    Nissan have confirmed champion Oliver Rowland will return alongside Norman Nato for the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

    Following a strong season 11 which saw Nissan Formula E Team take third in the Teams’ World Championship, its best result since the Japanese automaker took on full ownership of the operation after partnering with e.dams, the outfit is looking to continue its trajectory next season, with consistency and stability earmarked as a key to push further.

    Formula E World Champion, Oliver Rowland will continue with the team for a sixth season as part of a multi year deal and after a superb campaign, which saw him secure the Drivers’ World Championship with three pole positions, seven podiums, including four vicotries.

    The British driver made his full time series debut with the Japanese team in season 5, which was also Nissan’s first in Formula E, and raced with the team for three years.
    Returning ahead of Season 10, Rowland hit the ground running with a strong campaign, before earning his maiden world title in Season 11.

    Norman Nato, who tackles his third season with Nissan, will continue to race alongside Rowland.
    A race winner in the series, the French driver first joined the squad in Season 9, where he was a regular points scorer, also taking the team’s first podium under full Nissan ownership in Rome.

    He returned after a year away to team up with Rowland, showing consistent speed on track claiming pole position in Miami.

    I’m thrilled to sign with Nissan Formula E Team on a multi-year deal, in what will be my sixth season with the squad. What we’ve managed to achieve following my return in 2023/24 has been remarkable. Since I came to Formula E, the team has felt like my home, and I have a high level of trust with them as well as plenty of support. The aim for Season 12 is to replicate and improve on what we did last campaign, but we know how hard we need to work in the off-season to achieve the best results possible.
    Rowland on the news.

    I’m delighted to continue with Nissan Formula E Team for another season as it was always the target to extend my stay here. It’ll be my third campaign with the team and my second consecutive one, which gives me a lot of confidence moving forward.
    Nato on the news. I still have plenty of areas to improve on, but I’m not starting from scratch this year so I can use factors I’ve learned in Season 11 to help me in the future. I’m sure Oli will perform at a very high level again and I’m positive that together we can fight for the Teams’ World Championship.

    Following a very successful season, we’ve decided to maintain our driver line-up for Season 12. We’re keen to consolidate our operations as we look to further improve on the work carried out both on and off-track since we took full control of our operations in the sport. I am sure that the stability and consistency that we’ve built with both Oli and Norman will help us continue our remarkable progression and fight for all three championships again next season.
    Tommaso Volpe, Managing Director & Team Principal.

  • RND 6 – Monaco E-Prix

    Nissan’s Oliver Rowland picked his way through a frenetic closing third of the 2025 Monaco E-Prix Round 6, to drive to a comfortable win over Mahindra Racing’s Nyck de Vries and Andretti’s Jake Dennis.

    The Yorkshireman secured a first win around the inimitable streets of Monte Carlo and a third victory in six races of the 2024/25 season so far to extend his standings lead.

    Barnard led Rowland and the rest of the field away two wide through Sainte Devote with de Vries jumping Ticktum for third.
    The early throes saw the pack bide their time with PIT BOOST to come.

    On Lap 6, Ticktum skipped across the chicane, with race control deeming him to have gained an advantage as he was squeezed on the outside of de Vries.
    The CUPRA Kiro driver had to give up fourth to Wehrlein as a result.

    Cassidy found himself sixth once he used his first ATTACK MODE, with good progress from 19th on the grid.
    Meanwhile, Ticktum, on Lap 8 had dropped to eighth after that trip over the chicane a couple of laps prior.

    Lap 9 saw a full course yellow with da Costa into the wall at Anthony Nogues as he misjudged a lunge up the inside of Mortara’s Mahindra.
    Three laps later and we were green once again, as de Vries got caught napping, giving third to Dennis and fourth to Wehrlein before Rowland tried a dive up the inside of leader Barnard through the second half of the swimming pool.

    A lap later, Rowland managed to make a move on the McLaren driver stick – outdoing him into the chicane for the lead with Barnard forced to give up the spot having jumped the kerbs.

    On Lap 15, it was another full course yellow for Evans as he had a technical issue which brought his race to a premature end.
    A lap later, and we was back underway with Barnard heading Rowland and Dennis – with the man in second having taken ATTACK, which he used to hit the front over the start/finish as Lap 17 began.

    At the end of the same lap, Barnard and Dennis jumped into the pits for their PIT BOOST, with Rowland, de Vries and Wehrlein able to stride away as the then-top three.

    Mueller, who pitted early to repair a puncture, looked to be the man in the box seat – with the Andretti driver having taken PIT BOOST while having eight minutes and two activations of his Attack Mode power advantage in hand. He hit the net race lead on Lap 20 as Beckmann and Hughes headed for Pit Boost.
    Once the order began to shake out on Lap 22, Mueller had the lead from Cassidy – with both down on energy to third-placed Rowland.

    Rowland crept by Cassidy on Lap 23 at the chicane, and Mueller, down on energy but still at the front, now had just three seconds in his pocket over Rowland.

    The start of lap 25 saw de Vries pinch second from Rowland at Sainte Devote, with just two seconds between P1 and P7.
    The concertina effect spat Barnard out into the wall at Fairmont as the pole sitter skittled all the way down the order.

    Mahindra’s de Vries followed up on his move for second with a strike for the lead at the chicane in the melee – shuffling Mueller to second, and then third behind teammate Dennis.

    De Vries held fast but it was now Rowland the one to watch as the Nissan driver became the last of the leaders to jump through the Attack mode activation loop.
    He swooped by the Andretti’s on Lap 27 through Sector 1 and set about de Vries before dispatching the Mahindra driver through the tunnel for the lead with what looked like the decisive move.

    The standings leader was able to stride to a 2.5 second lead and rounded the final few laps for a comfortable win in the end.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Rowland, P2: De Vries, P3: Dennis, P4: Mortara, P5: Mueller, P6: Wehrlein, P7: Ticktum, P8: Frijns, P9: Vandoorne and P10: Guenther.

  • Nato joins Rowland at Nissan

    Nissan will pair Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato for the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

    Following a fruitful partnership in the Gen2 era, Rowland enjoyed a strong Season 10 with the team. The British driver took two victories, including a home win in the final race of the year.
    In addition to two Julius Baer Pole Positions and five further podiums on his way to fourth in the standings.

    Not only this, Formula E race winner, Norman Nato will be returning to the Japanese squad, having previously raced in cherry blossom during Season 9 (2022/23).

    The French driver was a regular in the points, securing the team’s first podium finish under full Nissan ownership at the 2023 Rome E-Prix. Nato will be replacing Sacha Fenestraz.

    I’m excited to continue with Nissan Formula E Team after a very strong year. It’s been great to have some time off, I’ve been training and working with the team which has been positive. For next season we need to try and bring more consistency to all elements of our race weekends, whether that’s in qualifying or car development. Last year, we executed some races perfectly, so for this season we have to maintain that progress and improve the small bits we can to continue moving further up the order. I’ve known Norman for a few years, he’s very experienced and knows the team well, and I’m looking forward to working together. The GEN3 Evo car will be a challenge for everyone on the grid, so it’s a chance for us to maximize our performance and start the season on the front foot. I also want to give my best to Sacha, I enjoyed working with him during Season 10 and hope to see him back on the grid soon.
    Rowland on the news.

    I’m really happy to be back with the team. We ended Season 9 strongly together and I’m looking to pick up where we left off. We will be aiming to perform straight away, so the fact I know the car and the team will be helpful. Oli proved how quick he is last season, we’ve been battling on track since Formula Renault 2.0 but never been teammates! I’m sure we will get along well and hopefully we can share some podiums together. It will be interesting to see how the car has improved, and the goal is clear. We want to win races and championships. Finally, I wish Sacha all the best, he’s a top guy and it’s never easy to replace someone you previously partnered with. I’m sure we will be racing each other again very soon.
    Nato on the news.

    We’re excited for Season 11 after a very good performance in the last campaign. We’ve refreshed our driver line-up by welcoming back Norman, who will bring his wealth of experience and performance. Norman knows the team well and showed his talent when he was previously with us. His feedback and insight are valuable and he has a track record of developing cars, so we are delighted to see him return. Oli had a fantastic Season 10, and we’re confident he can continue at that level. We believe that Norman and Oli will form a strong pairing, both are team players and will do their best to help us improve throughout the upcoming year. At the same time and while it hasn’t been an easy decision, we have to say goodbye to Sacha. He has been a fundamental part of the establishment and development of Nissan Formula E Team, and we thank him for his hard work and his ever positive attitude. We’re proud to have grown together with him, and wish him all the best for his future career.
    Tommaso Volpe, Managing Director and Team Principal.

  • RND 6 – Misano E-Prix

    FP1-

    The DS PENSKE duo of Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne dominated the timesheets in first and second positions during the championship’s first visit to Misano.

    After lending out their cars for the Rookie Free Practice earlier in the afternoon our Season 10 grid made their way out onto the Misano circuit for their first in-car experience of the weekend.

    The session was filled with drivers exploring the limits, as they prepare for the double-header of Round 6 and 7.
    But there was troubles down at Mahindra Racing which saw home hero, Edoardo Mortara unable to set a single lap. With Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther facing problems during the first practice aswell.

    FP2-

    DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne made it two for two, topping the second Free Practice session of the weekend in Misano. The two-time Formula E Champion went quicker than his time in FP1, setting a benchmark of 1:17.482.

    NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes finished just 0.020s behind Vergne to claim second, with Sebastien Buemi in third.

    The session was impacted by a red flag for the ERT of Sergio Sette Camara who came to a stop on track. Not only this, it ended with a big incident for championship contender Nick Cassidy of Jaguar TCS Racing.
    Cassidy ran off the track, through a gravel trap and ended his session in a tyre barrier to avoid the NEOM McLaren of Sam Bird.

    Track limits have been a popular topic of discussion this weekend, with 24 lap times being deleted over yesterday’s first free practice. One driver who appears to be finding it tough is Reigning World Champion Jake Dennis, the Andretti driver had eight track limit violations yesterday, and things didn’t look better this morning.

    Qualifying-

    Jean-Eric Vergne continued his strong run of form, as he topped another session in Misano. Joining JEV in the Duels was the TAG Heuer Porsche Pascal Wehrlein who ended the session second, with Oliver Rowland and Maximilian Guenther being the fastest four in the group.

    In Group B, with NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes going quickest of 11 drivers. Hughes has experience racing round Misano in junior categories, and was 0.163s ahead of Mitch Evans in second.
    Hughes’ teammate Sam Bird also flew into the Duels in third and ABT CUPRA’s Nico Mueller making it to the Duels, a third consecutive appearance.

    First up in the quarters was Nissan’s Oliver Rowland and Tag Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. Rowland has taken pole on both occasions he has reached the Duels stage this year. But it was Wehrlein who managed to finish ahead, with Rowland making a few small mistakes on his way to missing out on the Semi’s.
    Next it was Vergne and Guenther, with JEV continuing his streak of topping every session of the weekend, which continued as Guenther made an error on his lap.

    But it was Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans who scored pole, which is his seventh Julius Baer Pole Position, in which he took on the DS PENSKE of Jean-Eric Vergne in an intense finale.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Evans, P2: Vergne, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Muller, P5: Rowland, P6: Bird, P7: Guenther, P8: Cassidy, P9: Frijns and P10: Buemi.

    Round 6-

    Antonio Felix da Costa qualified 13th and timed his push to perfection to take the race lead for the definitive time with three laps to go, from form man Oliver Rowland.
    From there, he was able to hold off the advances of Rowland to the chequered flag while Reigning Champion Jake Dennis clambered from a lowly 17th on the grid to complete the podium.

    As early as Lap 5, da Costa had made his way through the tightest of pack – with all 22 cars split by less than five seconds for much of the encounter – to the podium positions, trailing teammate Wehrlein on Lap 5.

    At a circuit like Misano, energy was always going to be on the drivers’ and engineers’ minds with cars starting the encounter with between 60 and 70% of the usable energy needed to finish the race – the rest recovered by regenerative braking.

    The concertinaing field always looked like it would catch driver out, as five wide through Turn 1 proving too much to handle with an early leader in Sam Bird, Nick Cassidy and Wehrlein among those suffering damage – race ending damage for the former pair.

    With eight laps remaining, Da Costa inherited the lead again but Rowland wouldn’t back off – as the Nissan driver jumped the Porsche on lap 23 for P1.
    From there, the race was a straight contest to the finish with drivers bolting for the chequered flag – energy calculations measured to the tenth of a percentage point opening up a flat out finish.
    On the outside of Turn 5, with three laps to go, da Costa swooped by Rowland for first while Jean-Eric Vergne, Dennis and Guenther battled in behind.

    It was Da Costa who led Rowland home for his first win of the season, and Jake Dennis pipped Vergne for third.

    However, Formula E isn’t Formula E without someone being penalised… Antonio Felix da Costa has been disqualified from the Misano E-Prix Round 6 as the throttle damper spring on his car was not found in conformity with one of the three optional declared items.

    As a result, the cars beneath da Costa in the original race classification move up a slot, meaning Nissan’s Oliver Rowland inherits the race win.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Rowland, P2: Dennis, P3: Guenther, P4: Ticktum, P5: Evans, P6: Vergne, P7: Nato, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Fenestraz and P10: Di Grassi.

  • Oliver Rowland returns to Nissan

    Nissan will field the returning Oliver Rowland for the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as he partners Sacha Fenestraz after an impressive rookie season.

    Rowland first joined Nissan as a rookie in 2018, the same year the Japanese manufacturer debuted in Formula E. He raced for the team between Seasons 5 and 7, taking five pole positions and five podiums, including a victory in Berlin back in 2020.

    The 31 year old driver from Barnsley has a strong racing CV in addition to his Formula E success, taking the 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 Series title, along with a third placed finish in the 2017 FIA Formula 2 championship.

    Meanwhile, Fenestraz will continue his development with the Nissan Formula E team after a promising Season 9.

    During his rookie the year, the 24 year-old impressed many with his ability to adapt to Formula E machinery, claiming pole position and the fastest Formula E lap of all time at the Cape Town E-Prix in his fifth race with the team.
    He also set the fastest lap of the race in Monaco and regularly fought at the front of the field.

    I’m really excited, it’s a bit of a homecoming for me, back to the place I started my Formula E journey and somewhere I had a lot of success. The team has been on a great trajectory over the last year, with performances improving. I’m confident Sacha and I will make a strong pairing, he showed incredible speed in his first season. I’m looking forward to getting back to work, ready to go and can’t wait to see what we can do as a team.

    Rowland on returning.

    I’m extremely excited to continue my journey with Nissan Formula E Team. I’ll attack this season with a new approach as it will be my second year in the championship, so we’re aiming to hit the ground running immediately. I’m looking forward to building on our strong maiden year together and fighting for positive results throughout the season. I’m also very happy to welcome Oli back to the team. He knows most of the crew so I’m sure he will settle in really quickly and we can work well together to help the team move forwards. I can’t wait to be back on track soon and hoping for another great year together with Nissan!

    Fenestraz on staying with Nissan.

    We’re very happy to welcome Oliver back, we know his talent and experience and we’re sure he will contribute significantly to the future success of the team. He will complete a strong pairing with Sacha, who proved his raw talent since he joined. He’s shown to be excellent in qualifying and has huge potential to grow and become a major force in the championship. We’re continuing to work hard at the factory and with the drivers so we can be ready to attack the season straight away in Mexico City. It’s going to be our second year racing as Nissan Formula E Team in the series, we’ve learned a lot already and will look to make more positive steps on our Formula E journey. At the same time, we also want to wholeheartedly thank Norman Nato for all his hard work and efforts throughout Season 9. Without him and his strong performance during the final few races of the year, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve our final position in the teams’ standings. It has been a pleasure to work with Norman, and we wish him all the best for his future career.

    Team Boss, Tomasso Volpe.

  • Merhi in at Mahindra

    Mahindra Racing have announced a change to their driver line-up for the remaining seven races of Season 9, as Oliver Rowland has departed the team. The team now welcome Spaniard Roberto Merhi, who recently drove for the team in the recent Berlin Rookie Test.

    Merhi will race for the Mahindra team, alongside Season 3 Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi from the Jakarta E-Prix this weekend.

    The team stated that a “mutual agreement ” had been reached between Rowland Mahindra for him to step aside for the next seven races.

    Rowland has plenty of Formula E experience under his belt, with his first race being the 2015 Punta del Este E-Prix and has gathered 64 race entries under his belt. As well as achieving five Julius Baer Pole Positions and six podiums.

    However, Rowland currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with nine points to his name in the new Gen3 era.

    Last time out in Monaco, Rowland had a great start to the race making up eight places. But, his race came to a premature end when a crash resulted in him sustaining a hard injury and being checked at a local hospital. Thankfully an X-ray showed that there was nothing serious and he was expected to race in the Indonesian double header.

    Roberto Merhi has a very impressive racing resume, having raced in Formula 1 with the Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015, he also had success winning races in various championships including Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

    As well as single seaters, Merhi also competes in endurance racing and finished the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.

    It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it. I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.

    Merhi on the opportunity.

    We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team. Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships. He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.

    Frederic Bertrand, Mahindra Racing CEO