Sacha Fenestraz’s future in the FIA Formula E championship is uncertain after Nissan decided to terminate his contract, according to reports.
The French-Argentinian was set to partner Oliver Rowland for the 2024-25 season despite a disappointing Season 10, in which he was comprehensively outscored by the Englishman.
However The Race has reported that Nissan has made a shocking u-turn at the 11th hour and are set to show Fenestraz the door, leaving it open for the return of its former driver Norman Nato.
Despite committing to another year in the FIA World Endurance Championship – sticking with Team Jota – it seems that Nato will be remaining in FE after all, with all indications that his time with the series was done, at least temporarily.
Nato was let go by Andretti at the end of the season in favour of Nico Müller, after a disappointing campaign which yielded just one podium finish.
In Season 9, Nato drove for the Japanese marque, finishing 10th in the standings after a rich vein of form at the back end of the year saw him finish in the points in the final six rounds, including a podium in Rome.
Fenestraz made his FE debut in the final round of Season 8 with Dragon Penske, before gaining a full-time drive with Nissan from Season 9.
His first year would see four points finishes, including fourth at Monaco, having qualified on the front row.
And despite four back-to-back top 10 finishes in Season 10, it appeared that little to no progress had been made by Fenestraz, and many whispers around the paddock began to be heard midway through the year as to whether he would last another term.
Ahead of the Monaco E-Prix, Fenestraz told Motorsport Week that he had been having a “hard time”, particularly as he observed Rowland making fine progress with four consecutive podiums, and whilst the European season did show promise, the latter third of the season were blighted by more disappointing results.
Rumours intensified after the penultimate weekend in Portland, when Fenestraz was out-qualified for race one by the team’s reserve driver Caio Collet, who had been a last-minute replacement for an unwell Rowland, and had not even had time to partake in any simulator sessions prior to the weekend.
However, all signs pointed to Nissan deciding to stick with the same line-up, but it now seems that Team Principal Tommaso Volpe has had a last-minute change of mind.
Motorsport Week understands that Nissan are hoping to make an announcement on its line-up early next week.
