Nissan Formula E Team secures podium in dramatic Season 12 opener

Rowland gains 11 places in São Paulo to clinch second as Nato’s solid pace goes unrewarded

Nissan Formula E Team’s Oliver Rowland produced a remarkable comeback drive to stand on the podium during Round 1 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in São Paulo, as Norman Nato showed promising speed throughout the event.

This morning saw an extended FP2 session with both Nissan Formula E Team drivers finishing in the top ten, after FP1 was cancelled on Friday due to technical difficulties with radio communications.

Rowland narrowly missed out on the top four in Group A and started 13th, after serving his three-place grid penalty from the Season 11 finale in London. Teammate Nato showed good pace in Qualifying, recording the quickest time in Group B as he advanced to the duels, eventually lining up seventh.

Both drivers enjoyed strong starts staying out of trouble on a chaotic first lap, with Nato moving into fourth as Rowland elevated himself into the top ten. During their first Attack Mode deployments, both the Frenchman and Brit would lead the race at different stages, but contact between the pair on Lap 17 saw Nato forced to pit and ultimately retire a lap later.

Meanwhile Rowland retook the lead of the E-Prix before a late Safety Car came out with a minute of his second Attack Mode still remaining. Rowland battled hard at the restart and dealt with a late Red Flag well to cross the line in second and secure a solid haul of points to start the new campaign.

Formula E will return in the New Year, kicking off 2026 with the Mexico City E-Prix at the popular Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Circuit on 10 January.

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s great to score a podium on the opening weekend of the new season. Oli and Norman showed great pace in the race and both looked like they were going to collect a good amount of points. However, they made contact between them and, while we know these things can happen in motor racing, it’s of course very frustrating for the whole team. We’ll review the situation as a team to avoid anything like this in the future, but overall we’re happy to collect a trophy and start the campaign in a positive way. We will now be fully focused on the next race in Mexico, which is like a second home for us as the country is such a significant market for Nissan, and we’ll aim to replicate the success that we enjoyed there in Season 11.”