Nissan Formula E Team's Strong Strategy Derailed by Incidents in Sanya E-Prix
Despite a clever energy-saving strategy, both Nissan drivers ended their Sanya E-Prix early due to contact and a rare mistake, leaving the team without points.
- 2025
- 2019
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- 2020
What Happened
Nissan Formula E Team endured a frustrating Round 11 of the 2025/26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Sanya, China. Extreme heat and humidity challenged the squad as Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato started 10th and 16th respectively. The team employed a strategy to save energy early and attack later, which paid off after a red flag stoppage: Rowland took the lead and Nato rose to the top four. However, Nato was hit from behind and crashed, and shortly after Rowland made an uncharacteristic mistake hitting the wall, ending both races prematurely.
Rowland qualifies 10th, Nato 16th; neither makes the Duels.
Both drivers launch well; team saves energy in first half.
Red flag stoppage; after restart Rowland takes lead, Nato climbs to fourth.
Nato is hit from behind and into the wall; Rowland hits wall after a rare mistake.
“It's frustrating to be leaving Sanya without points as the team put both Oli and Norman on the perfect strategies to achieve very good results. We didn't quite have the pace today, and that showed in qualifying; but we knew we could fight back during the race and that's what we did.”
Why this matters
The result shows that even a perfect strategy can be undone by racing incidents, highlighting the unpredictable nature of Formula E and the challenge of maintaining consistency in a championship fight.
Terms in This Story
- Formula E
- An all-electric single-seater motorsport championship sanctioned by the FIA, featuring street circuits worldwide.
- E-Prix
- The name for a Formula E race event.
- Duels
- A knockout qualifying format in Formula E where drivers compete in head-to-head battles.
- Attack Mode
- A temporary power boost in Formula E that drivers activate by driving through a designated activation zone.
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