Formula E

Nissan Formula E Team to launch Season 12 charge in São Paulo

December 2, 2025

5 min Reading

Norman Nato drives the #23 car in pre-season testing in Valencia

Rowland and Nato aiming to kick off new campaign with strong points

Nissan Formula E Team is looking for a solid start to the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in São Paulo, Brazil, having completed a successful week of Pre-Season Testing in Valencia in October.

The event will mark Formula E’s fourth visit to Brazil, competing on the Anhembi Sambadrome, with the main straight situated on the location of the world-renowned Carnival of São Paulo, in the north of the city.

Drivers’ World Champion Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato will look to build on the learnings from previous races at this venue. Rowland finished on the podium at the São Paulo Street Circuit in the 2023/24 campaign, while both drivers showed excellent pace at the track last December, battling at the front of the field for the majority of the event before penalties denied the team points.

The 2.93-kilometre circuit is bumpy and high-speed with several heavy braking zones, challenging the drivers throughout the weekend and offering the best overtaking opportunities into Turns 1, 4 and 7. This year’s event is one lap shorter than in 2024, making for a faster race with less need for energy saving.

The race weekend will begin with Free Practice 1 on Friday afternoon at 16:30 local time (UTC-3), ahead of the second practice session on Saturday morning at 07:30. Qualifying gets underway soon after at 09:40, before lights out for the opening race of the season at 14:05.

Oliver Rowland on track in Valencia in the #1 car

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “The whole team is ready go racing again and build on what was a very positive Season 11. Valencia showed that we have a lot of potential in the car and we’ve been preparing well at the factory, including setting up our new Dynisma simulator and extracting full potential from the system. We know we must hit the ground running from FP1 in São Paulo as the Formula E grid is set to be even more competitive this year. We know we can do well at this circuit as we had great pace here last season, but every team now has a year’s worth of experience with the GEN3 Evo cars and the tires, which will tighten the field. Every move and every point could make a difference, so we’re striving for a smooth weekend without mistakes to start Season 12 on the front foot.”

Oliver Rowland

“I’m looking forward to being out on-track in Brazil and starting the new campaign as defending Drivers’ World Champion. It’s a new season so our focus is once again on maximizing our performance throughout as the field will be even tighter. It’s a tricky circuit, there is minimal grip as well as it being quite bumpy. Managing the temperatures in the hot weather is going to be crucial and it’ll also be important to settle into a good rhythm from FP1. I led the majority of the São Paulo E-Prix last year, of course there has been a lot of racing since then, but I will be aiming to fight at the front again to ensure a strong start to the new season.”

Norman Nato

“I’m excited to be back and ready to kick off the season in São Paulo. We prepared well at Pre-Season Testing, we were mainly working on improving our procedures and on some technical areas but we showed great speed on the final day to top the timesheets. It’s important to start the season well - it grows confidence within yourself and in the team, and it creates a good atmosphere around the garage. I enjoy the track, it’s bumpy but cool to race on. We had good pace there last year, so we’ll be looking to build on that to kick off the year with strong points.”

Sam Bird with arms folded, wearing his red Nissan Formula E Team race suit

Sam Bird, reserve and development driver

“São Paulo is one of the races that everyone on the Formula E grid looks forward to. We always get a very interesting weekend as the track produces unpredictable racing. In the past we’ve seen drivers hold on to the lead and come out on top, and also go from the back to win, which is part of the beauty of Formula E. The main challenge of the circuit is getting the car stopped well. Braking ability and traction is key, while the best overtaking opportunities are definitely into Turns 1, 4 and 7 following the long straights, and if you’re brave, at Turn 10.”

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