Nissan became the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the series when it partnered with the championship-winning e.dams outfit in 2018/19. Immediately, the team found success with a second-place finish in the Teams' championship after six podium finishes, six pole positions and 16 Super Pole appearances combined by Buemi and Rowland, making Nissan e.dams the best qualifying team in the championship. The team ended the season with its first-ever victory during the final race weekend in New York City.
Since their debut season, the Nissan squad hasn’t been short of success, accumulating 23 wins, 56 podiums and 27 pole positions, but undoubtedly their greatest moment came in Season 11, when Oliver Rowland clinched the Drivers’ championship with a comfortable margin.
To mark 150 races of Formula E, we caught up with three people who have played a pivotal role in writing Nissan’s story in the all-electric championship.
TOMMASO VOLPE
“If I remember how new Formula E was when I started working in Formula E, it was very different,” says Tommaso Volpe, Team Principal and Managing Director of the Nissan Formula E Team.
“You could already feel the potential of the sport to become where it is now, a tier one FIA World Championship. And, of course we still see huge potential for the sport to grow and what is really important, I believe, and makes the sport different from many others is the relevance that it has for a big automaker like Nissan, so the R&D we developed in the sport is very, very relevant for the future of automotive from the sporting perspective.”
The Japanese manufacturer is a world leader in the design and manufacture of all-electric cars, with over 365,000 Nissan LEAF vehicles sold since the model debuted in 2010. For its entry into Formula E, Nissan has made use of its existing EV experience to develop the all-new powertrain for its Formula E race car. In turn, the learnings from the track will shape the next generation of EVs from the Japanese car maker.
For a manufacturer team like Nissan, the role of a Team Principal is one that comes with a breadth of responsibilities, as Tommaso explains: “The Team Principal role is a mixture of a lot of corporate obligations and tasks like the consolidation to the manufacturer, the connection to the strategic objectives of Nissan, in my case and of course. Then there is the big part of management of the racing activities and car development for which I rely on very senior engineers as well.”
Volpe clearly puts his trust in the right people, if Nissan’s recent form is anything to go by. After winning the Drivers’ Championship last season with Oliver Rowland, the British driver has continued to impress in Season 12 - achieving two podiums in the opening two rounds. Yet, despite his high hopes for the season, Volpe is looking ahead to what the future could be for Nissan in the all-electric championship.
“At the moment the most exciting news for Formula E is the GEN4 car coming up next season,” says Volpe. “We are reaching a level of performance and efficiency at the same time, which is, I think, unprecedented in motorsport and e-mobility in general and we are all excited about that, to see these cars on track.”
FRANCESCA VALDANI
Volpe’s sentiments are echoed by another core member of the Nissan squad, Team Manager, Francesca Valdani.
As Team Manager, Valdani is responsible for overseeing all the logistics, travel and coordination of the team, as well as taking care of the Nissan’s adherence to FIA sporting regulations during race weekends.
“Compared to other motorsport series, I found Formula E to be very innovative,” she says. “The team is really involved in the championship and in developing new rules and ways of working together.
“I'm finding this paddock very close together because everyone is just thinking about the championship and the goal is the same for everyone, to make the championship healthy and successful.”
Having worked in Formula E since Season 2, Valdani is no stranger to the paddock, and her love for the championship is apparent in her reflections on what the last few years have meant to her personally.
“My favorite moment in Formula E is when we get a good result after a long week…there are many things happening during the race. So when we are on the podium, it’s my favorite moment and what makes me very proud of such a special place in my life.
“In Formula E everyone helps each other, it’s like a family, and everyone is always smiling.”
DORIAN BOISDRON
Another significant member of the Nissan family is Dorian Boisdron, Team Director for the Nissan Formula E Team.
“I first became involved in Formula E in Season Two,” Dorian explains. “I was involved in the development program, and then I started to attend races in Season Six.
“At first I was the Sporting Manager and Team Manager (for Nissan) and then I evolved into a new role at the beginning of GEN3 to become Team Director.
“My role on a day-to-day basis is to manage all the racing activities here at track, but it also includes all the preparation work at the workshop, so all the technical elements and the sporting management. Basically my job is to convert the potential of the (Nissan) package into the best possible sporting results.”
Boisdron’s extensive tenure in the series has meant that he has witnessed the evolution and progression of Formula E firsthand. In Season 1, back in 2014, Formula E ushered in a revolution with the all-electric open-wheel GEN1 car - a first of its kind in motorsport. In the years since, we waved goodbye to that initial era of mid-race car swaps and welcomed the next step-change in technology for Formula E with GEN2 in Season 5. More power and almost twice the usable energy capacity, effectively doubling range despite its battery being about the same size and weight as its predecessor.
Season 9 saw Formula E's third great leap and the GEN3 era, The GEN3 is lighter, smaller, faster and more sustainable than what came before, and incorporates a number of cutting edge features set to inspire and inform major automotive manufacturers into their next moves in the consumer car market while showing there need not be compromise in an electric racing car.
“The Formula E Championship has always been very innovative and very advanced,” Dorian says. “But, I could see over the years that the championship became more and more structured. Of course, the technology has made huge progress, but also in the way we are running the championship, the sporting management and the competitiveness of the teams and the drivers is now very, very strong.”
As for the future, Boisdron echoes the words of his Team Principal, Tommaso Volpe, eager to see what the future holds for the Nissan Formula E Team in GEN4.
“I look forward to even more battles on track, hard racing, but fair racing. As a team, of course, we want to compete and to fight for more championships.
“I'm sure with GEN4, which is coming quickly, we will all make another step, not just in the sport, but also in the technology and I'm sure the future is very bright for all of us and for the championship.”
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2026 Miami E-Prix, Round 3
After an action-packed start to Season 12, you haven't got long to wait until ABB Formula E returns to your screen, and this time, we're returning to The Magic City: Miami. We'll be visiting the Miami International Autodrome. US teams Andretti, CUPRA KIRO and DS PENSKE will be looking to put on a show for their home fans on Saturday 31 January 2026.
Rookie Free Practice: 14:30 local | 19:30 UTC | Friday 30 January
Free Practice 1: 17:00 local | 22:00 UTC | Friday 30 January
Free Practice 2: 07:30 local | 12:30 UTC | Saturday 31 January
Qualifying: 09:40 local | 14:40 UTC | Saturday 31 January
Race: 14:05 local | 19:05 UTC | Saturday 31 January
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