Oliver Rowland brought his Nissan home in 10th place in Round 16 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the ExCeL London Circuit, adding a bonus point for the fastest lap on the final tour. Team-mate Norman Nato finished 15th after a puncture wrecked his afternoon. The result ends Rowland’s mathematical hopes of retaining the drivers’ title, with one race of the GEN3 era still to run.
Nissan Formula E Team left the first of two London races with two points on the board. Oliver Rowland crossed the line 10th in Round 16 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and picked up the extra point for fastest lap at the ExCeL London Circuit.
Neither Nissan driver made it out of their qualifying group and into the Duels. Rowland and Norman Nato lined up 13th and 16th on the grid, according to the team.
A late charge from 13th on the grid
Rowland spent the opening stages managing energy before taking his mandatory Pit Boost stop at the end of lap 17. A full course yellow at an awkward moment then handed track position to cars ahead of him. Once he had activated Attack Mode, the Briton worked his way back through the field with a series of late overtakes to claim 10th, setting the race’s fastest lap on the closing tour.
Nato’s race turned on a single incident. The Frenchman gained a couple of places on the opening lap in the #23 car before contact with another driver left him with a puncture and an unscheduled stop. He recovered to finish 15th and showed competitive pace in Attack Mode towards the end of the race.
Title defence slips away
The outcome means Rowland can no longer retain the drivers’ championship he won in Season 11. He sits fourth in the standings on 134 points, while Nato is 19th on 19 points. Nissan holds sixth in the teams’ championship on 153 points and fifth in the manufacturers’ standings on 183 points.
“We did our best today, but unfortunately the result means we can no longer retain the Drivers’ title with Oli, and of course we’re disappointed. However, we came into the final race weekend still in contention, which is a credit to the hard work of everyone in the team throughout the season,” said Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal of Nissan Formula E Team.
Rowland pointed to the timing of the neutralisation as the decisive factor. “The race pace was alright, however, we were on the wrong side of the full course yellow and pit window which cost us massively,” he said, adding that reaching the final weekend in contention was “still a great achievement” against a competitive grid.
Nato was blunter about his own day: “It was a frustrating day. As soon as you qualify outside the top 10 here it’s always going to be very difficult in the race.”
The last race of the GEN3 era
Round 17 in London closes not only Season 12 but also the GEN3 chapter of the championship. Nissan, which made its Formula E debut in Season 5 (2018/19) as the first and so far only Japanese manufacturer in the series, has already committed to the GEN4 era running to 2030 — a deal it signed ahead of the 2024 Tokyo E-Prix. The team bought the e.dams operation outright in April 2022.
For a manufacturer that uses the series as a shop window for its electric road-car ambitions, finishing the GEN3 cycle on a high matters more than the points themselves.
Facts: Nissan Formula E Team, London Round 16
- Oliver Rowland — qualifying P14, race P10 (+1 point), fastest lap (+1 point)
- Norman Nato — qualifying P17, race P15
- Teams’ championship — P6, 153 points
- Manufacturers’ championship — P5, 183 points
- Drivers’ championship — Rowland P4 (134 points), Nato P19 (19 points)
The season concludes with Round 17 in London, where Free Practice 3 starts at 08:30 local time (UTC+1), qualifying at 10:40 and the race at 15:05.
Source: global.nissannews.com