Nissan’s form last season in Formula E was erratic as it was occasionally breathtaking. Few doubt it has one of the best packages in the field but its ability to make the most of it fell short in 2025. Will 2026 be any different?
Tram principal Tommaso Volpe is adamant that it will be. With two fewer Nissans on the grid after McLaren’s demise, it will now have to major on the teams and opposed to the manufacturers title.
But perhaps the most significant topic for Nissan and probably for the other four manufacturers too – Porsche, Jaguar, Stellantis and Lola – will be how it navigates the tricky duel programmes of Gen3Evo final season and Gen4 development phases.
“This is something we need to be careful of, yes,” Volpe told Formula E Notebook in Valencia last month.
“Of course, there’s Gen4 coming up and its big news for everyone, especially for manufacturers which are currently involved in the development. But all of us, all the ecosystem, we need to be careful in balancing the focus on Gen4 with the focus on what is happening now, what is the reality now which is Season 12.
“Otherwise, there is the danger to lose momentum, because momentum is kept on a daily basis. It’s not just with the future; it’s actually now the momentum. So, you really need to keep enough focus and promotion and effort to promote Season 12 as it happens. Also, I guess all teams here in the paddock want to win now before even seeing the Gen4 car.
ROI and Crucial Customer Focus
That delicate balance between communicating Gen4 and putting enough effort to focusing on Season 12 is not just a team topic it is also one that Formula E Operations as the championship promoter has to navigate.
This includes giving added clarity to the teams and manufacturers about costs, something that since the Covid-19 pandemic has shifted the entire model and structure of how Formula E teams go racing.
“What we always say is that the championship is far away from being financially sustainable at the moment, yet in all fairness it’s only the 12th season, so it would be crazy to imagine that it was financially sustainable,” says Volpe.
“For manufacturers there is a very big marketing ROI (return on investment) because of course the narrative about the connection with mobility and also the power of manufacturers in promoting it is strong.
“So, I believe that a lot of ROI that big manufacturers like Jaguar, Porsche and Nissan generate is auto-generated as well. It’s thanks not only to the sport as such, but it’s thanks to our marketing effort that we put on top and promoting the championship and our involvement in the championship.
This undoubtedly makes the business model work a little bit better. But what might be difficult is the ROI and the business model of independent teams and then ensuring the customer team model is sustainable too.
Volpe agrees, adding that “when you do not have a big brand behind you, the financial sustainability all of a sudden becomes more crucial.
“I believe this is the area where we all need to be careful about the future of the sport to make sure that financial sustainability comes as soon as possible.
“Again, manufacturers have their own huge marketing ROI
but independent teams’ race and their core business is racing. So, it’s the core business that has to be sustainable as such.
“This I think is a big objective that the sport has to achieve. I think we should not distract ourselves from this objective.”
