ABB FIA Formula E World Championship – Lease Connect – Car News https://leaseconnect.co.uk Car News Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:01:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 Difficult end to a strong Season 11 for Nissan Formula E Team in London https://leaseconnect.co.uk/2025/07/31/difficult-end-to-a-strong-season-11-for-nissan-formula-e-team-in-london/ Thu, 31 Jul 2025 06:01:53 +0000 https://leaseconnect.co.uk/?p=7734 Points in Round 15 for Nato while race incidents leave World Champion Rowland empty-handed

LONDON, United Kingdom – Nissan Formula E Team had a tough weekend at the season finale of a strong 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Racing in a special teal-blue livery to celebrate the launch of the new Nissan LEAF, Norman Nato secured points on Saturday and Rowland fought at the front on Sunday before an incident forced the Brit to retire.

In Round 15 on Saturday, Nato put in a promising performance to earn a top-10 finish. The Frenchman started 16th but quickly made his way up the order, consistently showing competitive pace and gaining seven places to come ninth. In the #23 car, recently crowned Season 11 World Champion Oliver Rowland lined up in 12th. However, damage from contact during the E-Prix hampered his progress, with the Brit ending up just over a second off a points finish in 11th.

Despite a frustrating first race of the weekend, the team worked hard and was fully focused on the final round of the season, with an opportunity to still clinch both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles. Both drivers narrowly missed out on the Duels in qualifying, lining up side-by-side in ninth and 10th. Early contact forced Nato to pit, but once he re-joined at the back of the pack he battled his way up to 11th, finishing under a second off the top-10. In the #23 car, Rowland made great early progress from 10th on the grid, swiftly moving up the order. However, the Brit had an incident while in the podium positions, which brought his race to a premature end.

Formula E now enters its off-season after another entertaining campaign, which saw Nissan Formula E Team secure four pole positions, and seven podiums including four wins. An incredible campaign from Oliver Rowland meant he clinched the Drivers’ title at the previous event in Berlin with two races to go, while the Japanese squad also took its best finish in the Teams’ Championship since the automaker fully took over the team by claiming third, with Nissan also taking third as a constructor in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s of course disappointing to finish third in both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships after leading them for parts of the season. However, if we take a step back, we can be very proud with this amazing year. We’ve achieved seven podiums and four victories, we’ve secured the Drivers’ Championship with two races to go, and we were in the fight for the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ until the very last race. We’ve been competitive throughout and we’ve matured together as a team. And our mistakes and anything that didn’t go our way during this campaign will help us to be even stronger next season.”

Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “We struggled for pace a bit yesterday and then got stuck behind other cars after our Pit Boost stop. It’s tough to overtake here and then I suffered contact, which denied me the chance of scoring points. Today we had a better qualifying and I was able to race at the front, before an incident ended my race. It’s been a difficult weekend but, overall, Season 11 has been a remarkable one. It’s a dream come true to be World Champion and to collect the trophy today! This will give us great motivation in the off-season to continue to improve and come back even better next season.”

Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “I felt like we maximized performance on Saturday by gaining seven places to take ninth. I was pleased to score points and hoped to do the same today. However, after a strong start an incident happened right in front of me which I couldn’t avoid, resulting in damage that meant I had to pit. We managed to come back through the field just missing out on points in 11th. It was a disappointing weekend in general, but everyone has done an amazing job this season to have us fighting for the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championships until the very end. It’s part of the journey with the team, and we know that the squad can perform even better in the future.”

]]> Nissan Formula E Team’s Oliver Rowland becomes Formula E World Champion at Berlin E-Prix https://leaseconnect.co.uk/2025/07/16/nissan-formula-e-teams-oliver-rowland-becomes-formula-e-world-champion-at-berlin-e-prix/ Wed, 16 Jul 2025 06:31:27 +0000 https://leaseconnect.co.uk/?p=7502 Rowland takes title in Round 14 as Sette Câmara secures points in his first race event for the squad Nissan

BERLIN, Germany, July 13, 2025 – Formula E Team’s Oliver Rowland crowned an incredible season today by becoming the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Champion, with two races left until the end of the season. The British driver has had a year to remember, taking seven podiums including four victories, and battled through an intense race weekend in Berlin to secure the title.

Coming into the event with a 69-point lead in the standings, Rowland needed to keep the gap at 58 points or more by the end of the weekend to win the title in Germany. However, the event got off to a tough start during Saturday’s Round 13 for both Rowland and Sérgio Sette Câmara, with the Brazilian making his debut for the team in place of Norman Nato (absent due to his World Endurance Championship commitments).

Following a cancelled FP2 and a shortened Qualifying due to inclement weather, Oliver Rowland started third but suffered race ending contact in the latter stages of the event, which also saw him handed a five-place grid penalty for today’s race. Meanwhile, Sérgio Sette Câmara lined up in 19th and showed solid pace on his debut for the Japanese outfit despite facing very difficult conditions, recovering from an earlier incident and gaining four places to finish 15th.

In today’s Round 14, Rowland initially qualified third, but started eighth on the grid due to the penalty. The Brit managed his energy excellently, making his way towards the front and crossing the line in fourth as his main title rival dropped out of the top-10. Rowland’s finish extended his advantage to 59 points, confirming him as the 2024/25 World Champion. On the other side of the garage, after an unfortunate qualifying which saw a red flag at the beginning of his push lap, Sette Câmara lined up 21st. Despite more bad luck which saw a Safety Car called out during his first Attack Mode activation, the Brazilian delivered an impressive performance, gaining 12 places to end the race in ninth and score his first points for the Japanese outfit in a weekend where he improved throughout.

Formula E’s Season 11 concludes with Rowland’s home race in London, taking to the unique semi-indoor ExCeL London circuit on 25-27 July. Besides watching the on-track action, visitors will be able to view the British-built, all-new Nissan LEAF in the Fan Village, as well as the all-new 100% electric Micra – both cars making their UK public debut. Combined with Qashqai with new e-POWER, the trio of new models is central to Nissan’s refreshed line-up as it enters a new era of electrification. 

Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s one of the most emotional weekends ever for me in motorsport and I’m so proud of how the team bounced back after yesterday to help Oli secure the Drivers’ Championship. The first race of the weekend was tough after the cancellation of FP2, especially for Sérgio on his debut for the team. However, we all stayed focused for today to claim this amazing achievement. It’s very special to win the title with Oli, who started his Formula E journey with us as a rookie in our very first season, and today we’re World Champions together. Sérgio also delivered an excellent race and it’s great to see him score a top-10 finish in only his second race with us. It’s time to celebrate this victory and then we’ll look to fight until the very end to win the other two championships in London.”

Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “I’m very proud to win the Drivers’ World Championship with Nissan Formula E Team – it’s going to take a while for it to sink in! After a tough day yesterday, I approached the race thinking about limiting the potential damage to my lead, but that strategy almost never works in Formula E, especially in this kind of race. So in the end I trusted myself and focused on delivering the best possible performance, and it paid off. Since I came back, Nissan created an environment which I can thrive in, and this is the perfect fairytale. The whole team has worked tirelessly and delivered to the highest standard, and I would like to thank each and every one of them for their amazing effort throughout this campaign. And I am also very grateful to Tommaso and Dorian, for always believing in me and giving me everything I needed in order to be World Champion today. The season isn’t over yet though – we still have two championships to fight for and our focus is fully on these now for the season finale in London.”

Sérgio Sette Câmara, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “Following a positive FP1 in the dry on Friday, it was challenging to head straight into a wet Qualifying on Saturday after FP2 was cancelled, meaning I had zero experience in the car in those conditions. It was a difficult race but at least it gave me a good base for today. This morning I struggled in Qualifying to get a clean lap and then the red flag interrupted my final flying lap. It was also unfortunate that the Safety Car was called out during my first Attack Mode, but from then the pace was excellent and I managed to come through and score points. I’m delighted that Nissan Formula E Team gave me this opportunity and I’m proud to be part of this outfit. Also, I would like to congratulate Oli on taking the Drivers’ Championship with two races remaining! I’m looking forward to continuing my work with the team and supporting Oli and Norman as we aim to take the remaining championships in London.”

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