Nissan Formula E Team has locked in its driver pairing for the 2026/27 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the first season run to the new GEN4 rules. Season 11 champion Oliver Rowland stays on for a fourth straight campaign under a multi-year deal, joined by Barbadian racer Zane Maloney. The line-up gives Nissan a mix of title-winning experience and a young driver entering his third year in the all-electric series.

Nissan has settled its 2026/27 Formula E driver question, confirming that Oliver Rowland and Zane Maloney will race for the Japanese manufacturer in Season 13. It is the first campaign of the GEN4 era, and both drivers are already working towards it ahead of pre-season running in Spain.

Rowland stays on after a title and a Monaco win

Rowland extends a relationship that goes back to the very start of Nissan’s Formula E involvement. He joined the manufacturer’s programme as a rookie in Season 5 (2018/19), Nissan’s first year in the championship, and returned to the team in the GEN3 era in Season 10 (2023/24).

That second spell has been the most productive of his career. He took the Drivers’ World Championship in Season 11 with seven podiums, four wins and three pole positions, wrapping up the title with two races still to run. Last season he added six podiums and a win on the streets of Monaco, finishing fourth overall and keeping an unbroken record of top-four championship results since his return. His new deal with the team is a multi-year agreement.

Maloney steps up to a manufacturer squad

Maloney starts his third season in Formula E, having scored top-10 finishes in São Paulo, Monaco and Tokyo during the 2025/26 season. The Barbadian arrived in the series off the back of a strong junior record: across the 2023 and 2024 Formula 2 seasons he took 11 podiums including two wins, and finished fourth in the standings in the latter year.

“Zane brings a different profile. He’s young but already has two seasons of Formula E experience, and we believe there is a lot more to come from him,” said Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal of Nissan Formula E Team. “With Zane joining Oli we have an exciting combination of experience and youth, and we’re confident this line-up gives us a strong starting point for the GEN4 era.”

Maloney described the move as a chance to join a top manufacturer and to learn from a driver he watched growing up, first in Formula 2 and then in Formula E. Rowland, meanwhile, pointed to Maloney’s junior career and two years of series experience as a good platform for a strong start to the season.

GEN4 brings a big power increase

Season 13 introduces the GEN4 car, and the headline change is output. Race power rises from 300 kW to 450 kW, while Attack Mode jumps from the current 350 kW to 600 kW. The cars also gain Active All-Wheel Drive, which Formula E and the teams say delivers stronger acceleration and higher cornering speeds thanks to the extra grip.

For Nissan, the step is one it committed to early. In March 2024, ahead of the first Tokyo E-Prix, it became the first manufacturer to sign up for the GEN4 era, which runs to 2030. The company bought the e.dams race team outright in April 2022 and remains the only Japanese manufacturer to have entered the championship.

What it means

A stable line-up matters more than usual going into a rules reset. Teams that keep a reference driver through a major technical change carry over set-up knowledge and development feedback, and Rowland has now spent four consecutive seasons inside this team. Pairing him with a driver still early in his Formula E career is a fairly conventional way to balance that: one known quantity for development, one with room to grow into the new machinery.

The pair continue their preparations ahead of pre-season testing at Circuito del Jarama in Spain on 16–20 November.

Facts: Nissan Formula E Team, Season 13

  • Drivers: Oliver Rowland, Zane Maloney
  • Championship: 2026/27 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (Season 13)
  • Car generation: GEN4
  • Race power: 450 kW (up from 300 kW)
  • Attack Mode power: 600 kW (up from 350 kW)
  • Drivetrain: Active All-Wheel Drive
  • Pre-season testing: Circuito del Jarama, Spain, 16–20 November

Pre-season testing at Jarama runs from 16 to 20 November, with the Season 13 calendar to follow.

Source: global.nissannews.com