Nissan Formula E Team has kept both of its support drivers for the 2026/27 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Sam Bird stays on as reserve and development driver, and Abbi Pulling remains rookie and simulator driver. They will back up race drivers Oliver Rowland and Zane Maloney as the series switches to its new GEN4 cars.
Nissan has finalised its driver line-up for Season 13 of Formula E. Two British drivers stay in their support roles: Sam Bird as reserve and development driver, and Abbi Pulling as rookie and simulator driver. Oliver Rowland and Zane Maloney remain the team’s race drivers.
The timing matters. Season 13 starts the GEN4 era, which brings a new generation of car. The team says Bird and Pulling already know its powertrain well, and that this will help Rowland and Maloney prepare for the change.
A veteran and a rising talent
Bird joined Nissan in November 2025. He has raced in Formula E since the series’ first race in 2014 and is one of only a few drivers to have won races with all three generations of car used so far. He has 27 podium finishes, including 12 wins. His most recent victory came in São Paulo in Season 10, driving for a Nissan customer team.
Pulling took up her role in June 2025. During the 2025/26 season she gained more Formula E experience in the all-women’s test, Rookie Free Practice in Miami and the Madrid Rookie Test. She won the F1 Academy title in 2024 and is racing in the 2026 GB3 Championship this year, where she has won at Spa and taken two podiums at Donington Park.
Preparing for GEN4
Team principal Tommaso Volpe said continuity was the main reason for keeping the pair. Bird said much of his recent work has gone into setting up the simulator for the new car.
“As we enter the GEN4 era, having drivers who know our simulator, our powertrain and the way we work will be important in helping us prepare effectively for this new generation.” – Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team
“With a new car for Season 13, we’ve spent a lot of time setting the simulator up to ensure we can give Oliver and Zane the most accurate representation of the new features,” Bird said.
Volpe said Pulling will get the chance to take part in test days and will keep supporting the team before and during race weekends. Pulling said she was looking forward to finding out what the new car can do: “I’m looking forward to exploring what the GEN4 car has to offer, starting in the simulator and then hopefully on race weekends.”
What it means
The whole grid moves to a new car this season, so teams that already have a strong simulator programme could gain an early advantage. Nissan says it was the first manufacturer to sign up for GEN4, which runs from Season 13 (2026/27) to Season 16 (2029/30). The team also arrives as a recent title winner: Rowland won the 2024/25 Drivers’ World Championship with four victories, seven podiums and three pole positions, and clinched the title with two races still to go.
Nissan entered Formula E in Season 5 (2018/19) and remains the only Japanese manufacturer in the series. It took full ownership of its programme in April 2022 when it bought the e.dams team.
Facts: Nissan Formula E Team, Season 13
- Race drivers: Oliver Rowland, Zane Maloney
- Reserve and development driver: Sam Bird
- Rookie and simulator driver: Abbi Pulling
- Championship: 2026/27 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, first season of the GEN4 era
- Pre-season testing: Circuito del Jarama, Spain, 16–20 November
Bird and Pulling will keep working with Rowland and Maloney in the run-up to pre-season testing at Circuito del Jarama in Spain on 16–20 November.
Source: global.nissannews.com