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.
That 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.
Attack Mode deployments
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.
“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,” noted Tommaso Volpe, Managing Director and Team Principal, Nissan Formula E Team.
“It’s going to be extremely tight this season so it’s about maximizing the results when you get the opportunity to score big like today. It’s 18 more points than what I got here last year so I’m pleased with that as we head to Mexico,” stated Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team.
“I was happy with how we optimized everything across the weekend even though our performance wasn’t at its full potential. It’s what we’ve been working on compared to last year and I was delighted to be quickest in Group B during Qualifying,” commented Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team.
