World Champion Rowland to run #1 car with Nato switching to #23,
as the team retains its iconic livery for the new campaign
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Formula E Team will hit the track for the first time in the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with five days of Pre-Season Testing at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, from 27-31 October.
The first four days will see reigning Drivers’ World Champion Oliver Rowland and team- mate Norman Nato out on track. The pair will sport new car numbers, with Rowland exercising his option to take #1, while Nato moves to the traditional Nissan #23.
After a successful Season 11, when Nissan Formula E Team clinched seven podiums including four wins, and three pole positions, the squad is looking to continue building in the final year of the GEN3 Evo era. With 17 races set for the upcoming campaign (a Formula E record), the team’s week in Valencia will be vitally important to help prepare the outfit to kick off the season strongly in São Paulo on 6 December.
In addition to the driver line-up, the Japanese squad has made the decision to also continue with its iconic livery. The famous cherry blossom pattern has been a fan- favorite ever since it debuted in Season 9 and is meaningful to the team, representing its Japanese heritage, while also now being a big part of Nissan Formula E Team’s identity in the series.
On Friday 31 October, Nissan Formula E Team’s reserve and simulator driver Abbi Pulling will head out on track for the second-ever all-women’s test, having topped the same session in 2024. This year’s test will last a full day, with Pulling set to drive the Nissan e-4ORCE 05 in two three-hour sessions. The British driver also spent time on track at the Berlin Rookie Test in July, while working in the team’s simulator since she officially joined in June this year.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: ” We’re looking forward to Pre-Season Testing in Valencia next week as we aim to build on our Season 11 achievements. After winning the Drivers’ World Championship and finishing third in the teams’ standings, our target is to continue with the ascending trajectory we’ve shown in the past few seasons, and to achieve that we need to consistently fight at the top. I believe that our unchanged driver line-up of Oliver and Norman will allow us to secure strong results from the start, with both having knowledge of our car and our systems. We’ll also get to see Abbi in action at the all-women’s test as we look to get her more valuable track time and experience, which will be crucial in her simulator work – especially now that we have our new Dynisma simulator in place. It’s a great opportunity to complete our test program and finalize all the preparation work done in the off-season before heading off to São Paulo.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “I can’t wait to get out on-track in Valencia after a great off-season, which involved some much-needed rest and recovery after a manic campaign. I was able to drive our Season 12 car and I know that throughout the upcoming four days of Pre-Season Testing we can improve further ahead of the opener in Brazil. It’s amazing to have the number 1 on my car and I believe that as a team we can defend the title. We want to adopt a similar mentality as what we did in Season 11, taking it race-by-race as we work hard to replicate and improve on our results, which I know we can.”
Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “I’m feeling ready to go for Pre- Season Testing in Valencia! We did a lot of good work in Season 11, and I’m excited to continue with Nissan Formula E Team. The aim is to be consistently strong and to keep developing as a unit throughout the season. The calendar looks really cool, Miami will be amazing and I’ve also heard great things about Sanya, so I’m looking forward to that one as well. Now we need to continue preparing for the season ahead and take advantage of all the effort we put in last year and during the off-season to fight for strong results from Round 1.”
Abbi Pulling, Nissan Formula E Team rookie and simulator driver: “I’m excited to get back on-track with Nissan Formula E Team and continue helping them to prepare for the upcoming season. My target for this test is to once again get to grips with the car and build on my learnings from the Berlin Rookie Test. I’ve really enjoyed my time with the crew over the past year and I’m looking forward to continuing to work together at the test and in the simulator during the 2025/26 campaign.”
