Only a few hours ago, Nissan announced the Season 10 lineup, with Oliver Rowland replacing Norman Nato.
Rowland comes back to Formula E after leaving Mahindra in the middle of Season 9, the reasons behind this move are still unknown. The driver is also returning to his former team, having driven for Nissan between 2018 and 2021. For weeks, the rumors had foretold this move from the Japanese team, but many people found it strange to replace Norman Nato.
Guess who’s back! 🔥
The one and only @OliverRowland1 is officially back in the hot seat for Nissan.
He will be racing alongside our very own @SachaFenestraz in Season 10.
Thank you @NormanNato for an unforgettable season. You will be greatly missed by the whole team. ❤️… pic.twitter.com/f9mhciRvjT
— Nissan NISMO (@NISMO) August 30, 2023
The Frenchman, during the past season, achieved the first and only podium of the team as a manufacturer, during the second race of the Rome E-Prix. Nato also conquered the Top 10 in the general standings by the end of the season, but despite his performance, the number 17 didn’t fit in Nissan’s plans for next year.
The team decided to aim at Rowland, who was searching for a new seat after the misadventure in Mahindra. The previous journey of the driver with Nissan has been positive, with the Brit collecting one victory and five podiums in three seasons. Born in 1992, Rowland appears as a talented and experienced driver to Nissan, who needed someone with these features to place near the young talent Sacha Fenestraz. The French-Argentinian driver has been confirmed with the team for his second season after some positive results collected in Season 9. However, Nissan expects more from him and hopes the new teammate will ‘push’ him to new goals.
The words of Rowland and Volpe
Rowland seems excited to be back behind the wheel:
“The team has been on a great trajectory over the last year, with performances improving. I’m confident Sacha and I will make a strong pairing, he showed incredible speed in his first season. I’m looking forward to getting back to work, ready to go, and can’t wait to see what we can do as a team”.
Also, Tommaso Volpe, Nissan’s team principal, is positive about the new drivers line-up and has trust in the work of the team:
“We’re very happy to welcome Oliver back, we know his talent and experience and we’re sure he will contribute significantly to the future success of the team. He will complete a strong pairing with Sacha, who proved his raw talent since he joined”.
This move of Formula E ‘Silly Season’ doesn’t stop the many questions of the fans: What will Nato do now? The answer is still unknown, with the Frenchman hasn’t explained yet if he’s going to leave the category or if he’s planning to race for another team on the same grid.
