Nissan have announced that Norman Nato will partner Oliver Rowland in its FIA Formula E squad for the forthcoming 11th season of the championship.
The Japanese marque have confirmed that former driver Nato, who appeared to be out of Formula E after leaving Andretti in August, will return in place of Sacha Fenestraz, who was told by the team at the 11th hour that he will, after all, not be retained, leaving his own FE future in doubt.
Tommaso Volpe, Nissan’s Team Principal, has addressed the situation in a statement released by the team, alluding to Nato’s experience as being a key reason for his inclusion.
“We’re excited for Season 11 after a very good performance in the last campaign,” he said.
“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 forhis future career.”
Rowland, who had a sterling Season 10 with two victories and a fourth place finish in the Drivers’ Standings, said:
“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.”
Nato said: “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.”
Fenestraz completed two campaigns with the team, originally partnered with Nato, and despite a difficult Season 10 in which he was comprehensively outscored by Rowland, it seemed as if he would continue for a third.
Fenestraz told motorsport.com: “I was told around the beginning of August that I was staying, but everything has now changed apparently…a lot of drivers have had similar years to the one I’ve had and they managed to bounce back.
“Unfortunately they didn’t give me that opportunity, which is a shame, but it’s the reality.”
Nato’s previous run with Nissan in Season 9 yielded a 10th place finish in the Drivers’ table, with eight points finishes, including a solitary podium in Rome.
Nissan will be aware that the Frenchman, like many FE drivers, will have FIA World Endurance Championship commitments, with one clash expected between the Interlagos round of WEC and the Berlin E-Prix weekend.
