Nissan Formula E Team scores points in challenging Shanghai weekend

Nissan Formula E Team managed to take points from a difficult weekend at Shanghai International Circuit in Rounds 12 and 13 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as Oliver Rowland finished eighth in Sunday’s E-Prix.

With adverse weather conditions forecast, both Saturday and Sunday’s timetables were brought forward by three hours, meaning an extremely early start for the drivers and teams.

Round 12

In Saturday’s qualifying, Rowland didn’t manage to progress to the Duels and lined up 13th. Meanwhile, teammate Norman Nato received a 60-place grid penalty after multiple component changes, following incidents outside of his control in both Monaco and last time out in Sanya. This meant he would start from the back of the grid, so the team opted to save his tires during qualifying.

In the race, Rowland made excellent early progress, climbing into the top five during a frantic start to the E-Prix and showing strong pace in dry conditions. However, as the rain intensified during the second half of the race, he struggled to get the same level of performance from his car, finishing 13th.

On the other side of the garage, Nato also had to serve a 10-second stop and go penalty at the end of the opening lap, in addition to starting at the back, as the car was not able to serve the full 60-place penalty on the grid. Given these constraints, the Frenchman’s strategy was to save energy and, in the latter stages of the race, the squad opted to pit him to change tires and adjust the pressures. However, an issue during the stop delayed his release, meaning he rejoined in traffic instead of being able to take advantage of the clean air and denying him the opportunity to make up any positions, eventually crossing the line in 20th.

Round 13

After the team made overnight changes, they were greeted with similar wet conditions on Sunday morning. In qualifying, Rowland showed strong pace, advancing to the semi-final stage of the Duels and lining up fourth on the grid. Teammate Nato also made it through to the Duels and was initially going to start just behind in fifth, but was subsequently disqualified from the session for a minor technical infringement.

For the second race, the team opted to start both cars on a full wet set-up and the E-Prix got underway after three laps behind the Safety Car, due to heavy rain.

After initially maintaining his position inside the top-10 while the circuit was damp, Rowland began to fall back on a drying track, with tires set for the wet. A late full course yellow allowed the Brit to execute a bold strategy to pit and changes tires, with pressures for dry running. When he rejoined the race and took his final Attack Mode, the current World Champion showed incredible pace in the remaining three laps, gaining six positions on the final tour alone to finish eighth as well as securing the extra point for fastest lap.

In the #23 car and having to start from the back of the grid, Nato began well but like his teammate was unable to make positions with the wet set-up on a drying surface. The Frenchman was advancing during his final six-minute Attack Mode but a full course yellow halfway through put an end to his charge and he eventually crossed the line in 17th.

Formula E is back in action on 24-26 July as the Japanese outfit tackles its home race weekend in Tokyo.

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “This weekend in Shanghai was a tough one for us. During the first race on Saturday and, despite our qualifying being less than ideal, Oli was able to move up into the top five, but as the rain intensified we struggled to maintain our pace in those conditions, leaving him outside the points. Norman’s race was compromised before the start due to the penalties and, despite our best efforts to try different strategies, he also couldn’t score any points.

“Overnight we made some adjustments which worked well on Sunday, especially in qualifying. For the second race we opted for wet set-ups on both cars, which didn’t pay off as the rain stopped and the track dried faster than expected. But at least the bold move with Oli to change tires during the full course yellow was the right one – he showed great pace after that and could score some points. We didn’t maximize our performance this weekend, but Oli is still in a good position to battle for the Drivers’ Championship going into the last four races, which is very positive. Now all our focus will turn to Tokyo, a race that the whole team is looking forward to and where we will have even more motivation to do well in front of Nissan’s home crowd.”

Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “On Saturday morning I felt good in the car during the practice session. However, in qualifying I had a lot of understeer and couldn’t advance into the Duels. Then during the race, we started strongly moving forward into the top five and being efficient on our energy saving. Unfortunately, when the rain came, we struggled for pace meaning we dropped back.

“Heading into the second E-Prix, we made some changes and qualified well in the wet, lining up fourth. In the race, it became more difficult as the track dried out on our wet set-up. I was outside the points and losing pace, so it made sense to take the risk of pitting and changing to dry-pressure tires under the full course yellow. In the end that decision paid off and we moved forward to collect a handful of points from the event. We’re still in contention for the title with four races remaining and it’s not over until it’s over, so we’ll now have a good reset and aim to deliver in Tokyo, where we have a strong history.”

Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “Coming into the event it was always going to be a tough opener with the 60-place grid penalty as well as the stop and go. We saved tires in qualifying and managed our energy well during the E-Prix. We got the Safety Car we were hoping for and came in to change tires, but an issue during the stop meant I rejoined in traffic, which of course wasn’t what we were going for. It was frustrating to not take the opportunity to do better during the first race, although we already knew it would be a difficult one on my side.

“The adjustments we made overnight helped us improve on Sunday, especially in qualifying. We topped Group B and were lining up P5 before the penalty, meaning we had to start the race from the back of the grid. We went for a wet set-up and initially it looked good but as the E-Prix progressed the track dried out, making it more challenging. However, we were advancing well in the final Attack Mode before a full course yellow came out as we were halfway through the six minutes. Overall, it’s been a frustrating weekend hindered by penalties out of my control and we’ll aim to put it right next time out in what is always a special weekend in Tokyo.”