Nissan Formula E Team came away with points from the first race of the Tokyo double-header, as Oliver Rowland climbed from 15th to seventh. A later Pit Boost stop and a well-timed Attack Mode rescued a difficult qualifying, while teammate Norman Nato was undone by a time penalty and finished 16th.

Nissan Formula E Team salvaged a top-10 finish in Round 14 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with Oliver Rowland gaining eight places to cross the line seventh on the streets of Tokyo. It was a recovery drive from a starting position that gave the home team little to work with.

A qualifying to forget

In hot and humid conditions, neither Rowland nor Nato made it through to the Duels. Rowland lined up 15th and Nato 11th, with the team admitting both drivers struggled to find confidence over a single lap. For an outfit with a strong record in Tokyo, it was not the platform they had hoped for.

Strategy pays off in the race

With intermittent showers falling throughout, Rowland conserved energy early and the team delayed his Pit Boost stop. The Briton re-emerged inside the top 10, immediately deployed his six-minute Attack Mode and picked off several rivals in the closing laps to take seventh and six points.

Nato had shown solid early pace and worked his way into the points, but minor contact with another car brought a five-second penalty. Serving it during his Pit Boost stop at the end of Lap 18 cost him crucial time, and the Frenchman eventually came home 16th.

“It wasn’t the event we were hoping for considering our strong record in Tokyo,” said Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal. “A well-executed strategy allowed Oli to gain several positions and score points. Norman’s day was once again hindered by a time penalty. We’ll now work hard to understand what went wrong today, especially over one-lap.”

Where it leaves the title fight

The result keeps Rowland fourth in the drivers’ standings on 120 points, the defending champion having taken the crown last season with four wins. Nissan sits sixth in the teams’ table (131 points) and fifth among manufacturers (158 points), while Nato is 19th on 11 points.

What it means

Tokyo is a rare home round for Nissan, the first and only Japanese manufacturer in the series, and one it has already committed to through the incoming GEN4 era to 2030. A points finish steadies the campaign, but the recurring one-lap deficit is the clear item on the to-do list before Round 15.

Facts: Nissan Formula E Team, Tokyo E-Prix (Round 14)

  • Oliver Rowland: qualified 15th, finished 7th (+6 points)
  • Norman Nato: qualified 11th, finished 16th
  • Teams’ Championship: 6th, 131 points
  • Manufacturers’ Championship: 5th, 158 points
  • Drivers’ standings: Rowland 4th (120), Nato 19th (11)

Round 15 concludes the double-header, with lights out scheduled for 20:05 local time after qualifying earlier in the day.

Source: global.nissannews.com