Oliver Rowland and Zane Maloney to drive for Nissan in Formula E's Season 13

Credit: Ryan Fleming

Nissan become the fourth team to confirm their driver line-up for the upcoming Formula E campaign, with Oliver Rowland and Zane Maloney joining forces for the first year of the Gen4 era in 2027.

Maloney replaces the departing Norman Nato, who drove for Nissan in three of the last four completed campaigns.

Rowland will continue to stay on at the Japanese outfit, though, despite receiving offers from rival outfits such as Penske and Envision Racing to spearhead their Gen4 campaigns.

The British driver returned to Nissan for Season 10 in 2024, scoring victories in Misano and London, and falling short of taking Nissan to their first Formula E championship.

However, he would go one better the following season, scoring as many as four victories and seven podium appearances on his way to a first drivers' title, sealed in the penultimate weekend in Berlin.

Rowland wouldn't defend his title in Season 12, though. Despite victory in Monaco and a series of podiums to start the year, he wouldn't replicate the same level of consistency and extract the same pace from his title-winning season, instead coming home fourth.

The announcement of his signing for Season 13 means Rowland continues his affiliation with a team he raced for during the Gen2 era in 2018-19, before returning to the team after an unsuccessful switch to Mahindra in 2022 and 2023.

"I'm delighted to continue with Nissan for our seventh season together and fourth consecutive one with Nissan Formula E Team," Rowland expressed, on staying at Nissan for the upcoming era of Formula E. "

"With the GEN4 car coming in, we're going to see a big step in performance and it's something we're really excited for."

Rowland also looked ahead to teaming up with Maloney to kick off Season 13 and the Gen4 era on a high note for the Japanese manufacturer.

"I'm looking forward to Zane joining the team, he's had a great junior career and two years of experience in Formula E, which puts him in a good position to start Season 13 strongly. Heading into the future with Nissan Formula E Team is very exciting and we're aiming to improve on our performances from this year," Rowland continued.

Maloney switches from Lola to Nissan for Season 13 | Credit: Luna Maas

Maloney will head into his third season, having made his Formula E debut at Lola at the beginning of Season 11. Having stepped up from Formula 2, the Barbadian driver endured a difficult rookie campaign, as Lola undertook their first campaigns in the series.

However, come Season 12, Maloney started the season with a point in São Paulo, before scoring two further points in Monaco and Tokyo as he ended the campaign with three points to his name, for Lola.

Maloney was just as excited to pair up with Rowland at Nissan, looking ahead to the opportunity as a massive boost for his career.

"I'm very excited to join Nissan Formula E Team. When I came into Formula E, the team was winning the championship with Oli (Rowland), so it's a great chance for me to now join a top manufacturer.

"I've spent the last two seasons with a new team, developing my skills and trying to get the best results we could, so I'm really looking forward to taking this next step in my career."

Despite the limited returns over the last couple of campaigns, Maloney emerged as a frontrunner to join Nissan for Season 13, ahead of Victor Martins, who has tested the team's Gen4 car in Navarra earlier this year.

While it came down to a close shout, Nissan opted for the man from Barbados to take over the seat, seeking an experienced head over a rookie heading into a crucial Gen4 campaign.

"We're delighted to confirm Oliver and Zane as our driver line-up for Season 13. Oli (Rowland) has been an important part of our Formula E journey, having joined the team as a rookie back in Season 5," said Nissan team principal Tommaso Volpe, on the announcement.

"Zane (Maloney) brings a different profile. He's young but already has two seasons of Formula E experience, and we believe there is a lot more to come from him.

"His results in Formula 2 showed the level of talent he has, and we see GEN4 as the perfect opportunity for him to build on those skills, making it a very fitting next step in his career.

Maloney's late twist comes after he has completed official Gen4 testing with Lola, and was arguably set to spearhead the team's campaign for Season 13, in the event of Lucas di Grassi's retirement. However, his departure to join Nissan only adds yet more intrigue to Formula E's rapidly evolving driver market for the upcoming campaign.