The Frenchman has proven the necessary pace, consistency and talent to be at the 100% electric single-seater category, and while he may not be at the forefront of the media attention at the moment, from the sidelines he is preparing to learn all he can with the full intention of coming back stronger.

“Super excited to join the Jaguar TCS Racing team ahead of ABB FIA Formula E season 8 as a reserve driver. I am determined to help the organization achieve their objectives. Let’s go for it, team,” Nato stated on his official Twitter account following his signing with the British team.

Related content: Jake Dennis and Nick Cassidy: Formula E’s Not So Rookies

“I am determined to help the team fighting for points, podiums and achieve a great performance. I have a lot to learn and discover, but I’ll be ready whenever I’m needed, either in or out of the Jaguar I-TYPE 5.”

On the other hand, Nato talked about the team’s starters. He shared a track with Mitch Evans from GP2 (now Formula 2), while he has known Sam Bird for several years, considers them both good friends and looks forward to supporting them in season 8.

Norman Nato’s Performance in 2021

A second place was scored on his list at the time of starting at the E-Prix of Rome with ROKiT Venturi Racing, finishing third in the race, but unfortunately he was disqualified as a result of consuming more energy than allowed by regulation.

In Valencia, he saw the chequered flag in second place, but a new penalty relegated him to fifth place after being found responsible for an incident with Alexander Lynn. Like any rookie, he has shown small mistakes, but that doesn’t mean he is not talented enough to be on the electrified division.

Written by | Ronald Ortega

The post Norman Nato to be Jaguar TCS Racing Reserve Driver appeared first on Green Racing News.

This is the case of Venturi Racing, which is evaluating the performance of the drivers and could make some grid changes for the 2022 campaign. Among them, Norman Nato, who has had a good season, but apparently did not meet the expectations required by the team to be at the top of the standings.

The Frenchman, who replaced Felipe Massa, finished 18th in the drivers’ table and may be replaced by one of the stars, Lucas Di Grassi. “That’s going to be a decision we’re having very quickly after the season is over. We find ourselves in a situation where, unfortunately, one car is very high up the table, but the other is not,” said Susie Wolff, Venturi director.

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Nato lost two potential podium finishes due to penalties, and was disqualified from the second race in Rome for exceeding energy limits, before losing third place in Valencia for a five-second penalty for hitting Alex Lynn on a spin. 

“I think Norman has done a good job for a rookie. He could have achieved podiums in Rome and Valencia, which is pretty positive for a first season, but we need to be competitive as a team and that requires two cars scoring good points,” Wolff explained.

 “Certainly, at the end of the season, we will have to sit down and think about maximizing points for the team. If we have one car up and one car down, it’s very difficult for the Team Championship,” he reiterated.

Di Grassi’s potential arrival

The Brazilian, 2016-17 season champion, and who finished seventh in the recently ended championship, might come to Venturi due to Audi’s decision to leave Formula E. 

Di Grassi’s and the team led by Wolff’s destinations are based in Monaco, which could be another tied up end of a possible relationship starter, more so if the driver has decided to continue betting on the electric category and wishes to stay on in 2022.

“Things are looking pretty good for me to stay here next season. My main option was to remain with Abt. This is what I always thought about doing when Audi decided to leave, but as everything seems less likely, I’ve had to look at other options. My chances are a bit limited, but if I wanted to give a probability of being here, I would say it’s more than 90%,” Di Grassi said at the end of the season.  

Written by I Jhonattan González

The post Norman Nato on the Edge: Di Grassi could replace him at Venturi Racing appeared first on Green Racing News.

Jake Dennis

He will be Maximilian Günther’s teammate on the BMW Andretti team in the 2020-21 Formula E season, he came to the German team to replace Alexander Sims, who was signed by the Mahindra team in September.

Dennis will be a debutant in the category in 2021, he has tested with the team in the past and has pleasantly impressed the entire team. He raced in the DTM during 2019 under the Aston Martin brand, but upon the announcement of his retirement from the German touring car championship, Jake was left without a seat.

Later he participated in the 12 hours of Bathurst and in the European Le Mans Series in the JOTA team with Anthony Davidson and the Mexican pilot Roberto González.

“I’m really looking forward to the new challenge that awaits me in Formula E, and would like to thank all those in charge at BMW i Andretti Motorsport for their trust,” said Dennis.

Jake Dennis

“I’m aware that I will be confronted with unique requirements in Formula E, which I will need to get used to first, but versatility has always been one of my strengths, and I am confident that, with the help of the team and my fellow driver Maximilian Günther, I will quickly get my bearings”

Nick Cassidy

Cassidy is another rookie in ABB FIA Formula E seventh season after being chosen by Envision Virgin Racing as the replacement for Sam Bird.

From the very birth of Formula E, Bird has been alongside Virgin Racing, but the partnership came to an end at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, as the Briton now moved to Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

When looking for a replacement for one of the most winning drivers in the history of the series, Virgin settled on Cassidy, a rookie who has already shown his potential in March this year in the tests for rookies in Marrakech, where it was dispatched with the best time and with a good performance in the Valencia preseason.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, 26 years ago, Cassidy competed in karting in his country before reaching cars in 2008 competing in different categories as he won the Toyota Racing Series of New Zealand in 2012 and 2013 taking the place of his compatriot Mitch Evans, Jaguar driver in Formula E, who was also a two-time champion of the category in the years before Cassidy.

After some inconsistent appearances in Formula Renault and Formula 3 in Europe, Cassidy settled in Japan and in 2015 was Japanese Formula 3 champion with seven victories, seven pole positions and 13 podiums in 17 races run.

Two years later, the New Zealander returned to dominate the tracks in Japan, this time in vehicles with a roof in the SUPER GT and in 2019 he established himself in the Super Formula of the Asian country.

With the announcement of his arrival at Envision Virgin Racing, Cassidy will not only venture into a new series for him, but will also have to leave Japan and move to Europe to be close to the team’s base.

“Racing in Japan has been an amazing experience and I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to achieve so much in a short space of time, but I feel it’s now time for the next challenge in my career and I’m very much looking forward to doing that with Envision Virgin Racing and Formula E,” said Cassidy.

He will be one of the riders to see in season seven, not just because of what he has already shown, but because he joins a team that has always been the protagonist and aspires to win in each E-Prix.

Norman Nato

Norman Nato will be one of the new names to join ABB FIA Formula E next season as a driver for ROKiT Venturi Racing, although he comes with an extensive career in motorsport.

The departure of Felipe Massa from the team led by Susie Wolff just after the 2019-20 season opened a place in a seat that was not expected to be free. And this time, instead of going in search of a high-profile rider like the Brazilian, Venturi looked inside and Norman Nato appeared.

The French driver has been involved with the team since 2018 as a reserve driver, with two Formula E rookie test appearances in Marrakech, and has spent hours carrying out development work on the Venturi simulator for the past two years.

He began his international career in European Formula Renault 2.0 in 2011, where he was fourth in his second season with a victory at Spa-Francorchamps and three other podiums.

From there Cannes-born Nato rose to the World Series Formula V8 3.5 and after an unsuccessful first year with the DAMS team, he continued into 2014 to claim two victories, one of them in Monaco.

The 2015 was a year of growth for the Frenchman in training series when he reached GP2, where after a difficult campaign with Arden he switched to Racing Engineering to live a year as the main man: two victories (Catalunya and Monza), one pole and a total of five podiums to be fifth in a championship where three of the four drivers who passed it are or have been in Formula 1: Pierre Gasly, Antonio Giovinazzi and Sergey Sirotkin.

In 2017 Nato returned to the ranks of Arden in what is now called Formula 2 but consistency was not on his side and, despite obtaining a victory in the challenging street race in Baku and two other podiums, the Frenchman finished ninth in the table.

From there Nato left formula cars and moved on to endurance racing, finishing third in the European Le Mans Series championship in 2018 before reaching the World Endurance Championship in 2019 with the Rebelion team. In that event he was also third along with Bruno Senna and Gustavo Menezes behind the dominant Toyota.

His confirmation as a starting driver at ROKiT Venturi Racing will undoubtedly mark a new great challenge for Nato, but his experience of almost a decade in some of the most important series in the world suggests that the 28-year-old Frenchman can take on a leading role.

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