Norman Nato Explained

Norman Nato
Nationality: French
Birth Date:1992 7, df=y
Birth Place:Cannes, France
Racing Licence: FIA Gold
Current Series:Formula E
First Year:2020–21
Car Number:17
Former Teams:ROKiT Venturi Racing, Jaguar TCS Racing, Nissan Formula E Team, Andretti Formula E
Starts:37
Wins:1
Podiums:2
Poles:0
Fastest Laps:1
Best Finish:10th
Year:2022–23
Last Finish:15th (47 pts)
Prev Series:FIA World Endurance Championship
European Le Mans Series
FIA Formula 2 Championship
GP2 Series
Formula Renault 3.5 Series
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
F4 Eurocup 1.6
Prev Series Years:20192020

20182019
2017
20152016
201314
2012
2011
2010

Norman Nato (born 8 July 1992) is a French professional racing driver. who is last raced in the Formula E for Andretti Formula E and the 2024 World Endurance Championship for Jota Sport in the Hypercar category.

Nato is known for finishing as the runner-up in the 2010 F4 Eurocup 1.6 season and the 2012 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps season, and for winning both in Monaco and Hungary in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series season.

Career

Early career

Karting

Born in Cannes, Nato began his karting career at the age of nine[1] and won the Championnat de France "Minimes" and "Cadet" categories in 2004 and 2005 before winning the Copa Campeones Trophy KF2 in 2007. In 2009, Nato won the French KZ2 Championship which he followed with a win at the KZ2 Monaco Kart Cup in 2010.[2]

Formula Renault

Nato made his debut in single-seater competition in 2010 by joining the F4 F4 Eurocup 1.6 series with the Autosport Academy team. The Frenchman won on debut at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón and took one further victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Nato ended the season with eight podium finishes and 123 points to finish as runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne.[3]

In 2011, Nato graduated to Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with the R-ace GP team. He finished 11th overall after taking two podiums at the Nürburgring and the closing race of the season in Barcelona, with another five points-scoring finishes.[4] He also partially competed in Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup with the same team, bringing another podium at Nürburgring.[5] For 2012, Nato continued to race in the Eurocup but joined debutants RC Formula.[6] He took one victory at Spa alongside three podium finishes at Aragon, the Nürburgring and the Hungaroring to finish fourth overall with 96 points.[7]

Nato also raced in Formula Renault 2.0 Alps in 2012 and battled against Daniil Kvyat for the title. In the final race of the season in Barcelona, he was involved in an accident with Kvyat and finished as the runner-up with a three-point deficit.[8] He ended the season with four wins and four further podium finishes.

Nato graduated to the highest tier of the World Series by Renault in 2013 by joining DAMS in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series as a team-mate to Kevin Magnussen.[9] He took one pole position and finished 13th in the Drivers' Championship with 33 points.

The Frenchman stayed on with the team for the 2014 season, this time partnering Carlos Sainz Jr. Nato took two victories which included a Grand Slam performance at the prestigious Monaco race in which he won from pole position and set the fastest lap. He finished seventh in the standings with 89 points.

GP2 Series

On 29 January 2015, it was confirmed that Arden International had signed Nato as its number one driver in the GP2 Series.[10] He finished 18th overall with 20 points.

Nato joined Racing Engineering for the 2016 GP2 Series[11] and won the opening race of the season in Barcelona. He finished on the podium again in Monaco, Hungary and Malaysia, and took one further victory at Monza to finish fifth in the Drivers' Championship with 136 points.[12]

In 2017, Nato returned to Arden to start his third season in the Formula One feeder series, now renamed as Formula 2.[13] He took one win after beating eventual champion Charles Leclerc at the Baku City Circuit and recorded two further podiums, finishing as the runner-up in the Bahrain and Silverstone Feature Races. Nato finished ninth overall, accumulating 91 points.[14]

European Le Mans Series

For the 2018 season, Nato made a switch to sportscar racing by joining the European Le Mans Series with Racing Engineering in the LMP2 class.[15] He won the opening race of the season at Le Castellet alongside team-mates Paul Petit and Olivier Pla. Nato took one further podium at the Red Bull Ring to finish third in the championship standings with 66 points.[16]

Alongside his ELMS campaign, Nato contested his first 24 Hours of Le Mans in which he finished in 10th place with SMP Racing. He also raced at the 2018 Petit Le Mans in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, finishing in 11th place with Tequila Patron ESM.[17]

For 2019, the Frenchman joined reigning ELMS champions G-Drive Racing and contested the opening two races of the season, taking fourth place at Le Castellet and winning at Monza.[18]

World Endurance Championship

Nato made his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2019 in which he raced at the 6 Hours of Spa with LMP2 team TDS Racing, taking fourth in class.For the 2019–20 season, Nato joined LMP1 team Rebellion Racing.[19] The Frenchman took his first FIA World Endurance Championship victory at the 4 Hours of Shanghai and also won the 2020 Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas.

Nato took second place at the 88th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He ended the campaign in third place in the Drivers' Championship alongside team-mates Gustavo Menezes and Bruno Senna, finishing on the podium on six occasions in seven entries.[20]

For 2021, Nato joined Realteam Racing to compete in LMP2, partnering Loic Duval and team owner Esteban Garcia.[21]

Formula E

ROKiT Venturi Racing (2018–2021)

Reserve driver (2018–2020)

In 2018, Nato was named as Venturi Racing's reserve driver in Formula E.[22] The Frenchman took part in the series' official Rookie Test in Marrakesh and set the 10th-fastest time.[23] He continued in the role into the 2019–20 season,[24] and again took part in Formula E's official rookie test, taking sixth position.[25]

2020–21 season

In 2020, Nato was promoted to a full-time race seat with Venturi as a team-mate to Edoardo Mortara, replacing 11-time Formula One race winner Felipe Massa.[26]

After making his debut at the 2021 Diriyah ePrix, Nato finished on the podium in only his fourth race start by taking third in Race 2 in Rome, however, was disqualified after overconsuming energy.[27]

Two weekends later, the Frenchman again finished inside the top three by taking second place in Race 2 of the Valencia ePrix, but after receiving a five-second time penalty, was demoted to fifth.[28]

After missing out on silverware twice, Nato finally finished on the podium by concluding his season with a dominant victory in Berlin, taking Venturi's third win in Formula E.[29] With this result, and outside of Formula E's inaugural campaign, Nato became only the third driver to win a race in their rookie season. The Frenchman finished in 18th position in the Drivers' Championship with 54 points, becoming Venturi's most successful rookie driver in history.

Nato was replaced by Lucas di Grassi on 15 September 2021 for Season 8.[30]

Jaguar TCS Racing (2022)

2021–22 season

After failing to secure a full-time drive, Nato joined Jaguar Racing as the team's reserve driver, partnering former Venturi driver Tom Dillmann.[31] Nato stepped up to a race seat for the final weekend of the campaign in Seoul, deputising for Sam Bird who sustained a fracture in his left hand during the previous race weekend in London.[32]

Nissan Formula E Team (2023)

2022–23 season

Nato returned to a full-time Formula E seat for the 2022–23 season, partnering Sacha Fenestraz at Nissan.[33] During the season opener at Mexico City, the Frenchman was forced to retire from the race after Robin Frijns crashed into the rear of the Frenchman's car on the first lap.[34] Nato opened his points tally with a seventh place at Hyderabad, before finishing eighth in Cape Town.[35] Having experienced a race-ending collision on the opening lap of the São Paulo ePrix, Nato would fail to score points in the subsequent events at Berlin and Monaco, a race he had started from third position.[36] Nato bounced back from Jakarta onwards, in part as a result of a software upgrade brought in by Nissan after the Berlin round, scoring points in the remaining six races.[37] This run included a podium in Rome, where Nato managed his car's energy to the limit to finish second, as well as two further top-five finishes.[38] Despite this string of results, which resulted in Nato finishing tenth in the championship and helping Nissan to finish ahead of customer team McLaren in the teams' standings, the French driver departed the team after the end of the campaign.[39] [40]

Andretti Formula E (2024)

2023–24 season

For the 2023–24 season, Nato switched to Andretti Formula E, replacing André Lotterer to partner reigning champion Jake Dennis.[41] During the season opener at Mexico City, he managed to finish at the 10th position.[42]

Nato would part ways with Andretti at the end of the season.[43]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2010F4 Eurocup 1.6Auto Sport Academy1420181312nd
2011Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0R-ace GP1400025811th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC701015625th
2012Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0RC Formula141014964th
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps1445582142nd
French F4 ChampionshipAuto Sport Academy000000NC
2013Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesDAMS1701003313th
2014Formula Renault 3.5 Series172112897th
2015GP2 SeriesArden International2100102018th
2016GP2 SeriesRacing Engineering2221151365th
2017FIA Formula 2 ChampionshipPertamina Arden221003919th
2018European Le Mans Series - LMP2Racing Engineering61022663rd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2SMP Racing10000N/A10th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - PrototypeTequila Patrón ESM100002056th
2018–19FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2TDS Racing100001216th
Formula EVenturi Formula E TeamReserve driver
2019European Le Mans Series - LMP2G-Drive Racing211013811th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance CupBelgian Audi Club Team WRT300000NC
Italian GT Endurance Championship - GT3Audi Sport Italia10001??
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2RLR M Sport/Tower Events10000N/ANC
2019–20FIA World Endurance ChampionshipRebellion Racing723161453rd
Formula EROKiT Venturi RacingReserve driver
202024 Hours of Le MansRebellion Racing10001N/A2nd
2020–21Formula EROKiT Venturi Racing1510115418th
2021FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2align=left rowspan=2Realteam Racing600105010th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A12th
2021–22Formula EJaguar TCS Racing20000022nd
2022FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2RealTeam by WRT6111 3964th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210010N/A17th
2022–23Formula ENissan Formula E Team1600016310th
202324 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2AF Corse10000N/ADNF
2023–24Formula EAndretti Formula E1600314715th
2024FIA World Endurance Championship - HypercarHertz Team Jota400013510th*

Complete F4 Eurocup 1.6 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567891011121314PosPoints
2011nowrapR-ace GPALC
1

ALC
2

SPA
1

SPA
2

NÜR
1

NÜR
2

HUN
1

HUN
2

SIL
1

SIL
2

LEC
1

LEC
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

11th58
2012nowrapRC FormulaALC
1

ALC
2

SPA
1

SPA
2

NÜR
1

NÜR
2

MSC
1

MSC
2

HUN
1

HUN
2

LEC
1

LEC
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

4th96

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeam1234567891011121314151617PosPoints
2013DAMSMNZ
1

MNZ
2

ALC
1

ALC
2

MON
1

SPA
1

SPA
2

MSC
1

MSC
2

RBR
1

RBR
2

HUN
1

HUN
2

LEC
1

LEC
2

CAT
1

CAT
2

13th33
2014DAMSMNZ
1

MNZ
2

ALC
1

ALC
2

MON
1

SPA
1

SPA
2

MSC
1

MSC
2

NÜR
1

NÜR
2

HUN
1

HUN
2

LEC
1

LEC
2

JER
1

JER
2

7th89

Complete GP2 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearEntrant12345678910111213141516171819202122DCPoints
2015nowrapArden InternationalBHR
FEA

BHR
SPR

CAT
FEA

CAT
SPR

MON
FEA

MON
SPR

RBR
FEA

RBR
SPR

SIL
FEA

SIL
SPR

HUN
FEA

HUN
SPR

SPA
FEA

SPA
SPR

MNZ
FEA

MNZ
SPR

SOC
FEA

SOC
SPR

BHR
FEA

BHR
SPR

YMC
FEA

YMC
SPR

18th20
2016nowrapRacing EngineeringCAT
FEA

CAT
SPR

MON
FEA

MON
SPR

BAK
FEA

BAK
SPR

RBR
FEA

RBR
SPR

SIL
FEA

SIL
SPR

HUN
FEA

HUN
SPR

HOC
FEA

HOC
SPR

SPA
FEA

SPA
SPR

MNZ
FEA

MNZ
SPR

SEP
FEA

SEP
SPR

YMC
FEA

YMC
SPR

5th136
Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)

Complete European Le Mans Series results

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456RankPoints
2018nowrapRacing EngineeringLMP2nowrapOreca 07nowrapGibson GK428 4.2 L V8LEC
MNZ
RBR
SIL
SPA
ALG
3rd66
2019nowrapG-Drive RacingLMP2nowrapAurus 01nowrapGibson GK428 4.2 L V8LEC
MNZ
CATSILSPAALG11th38
Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLaps
2018 SMP Racing Viktor Shaytar
Harrison Newey
Dallara P217-GibsonLMP234514th10th
2019 RLR M Sport/Tower Events John Farano
Arjun Maini
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP2295NCNC
2020 Rebellion Racing Gustavo Menezes
Bruno Senna
Rebellion R13-GibsonLMP13822nd2nd
2021 Realteam Racing Esteban Garcia
Loïc Duval
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP235617th12th
LMP2 Pro-Am3rd
2022 RealTeam by WRT Rui Andrade
Ferdinand Habsburg
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP236221st17th
2023 AF Corse Ben Barnicoat
François Perrodo
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP2183DNFDNF
LMP2 Pro-Am
2024 Hertz Team Jota Callum Ilott
Will Stevens
Porsche 963Hypercar3118th8th

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine12345678RankPoints
nowrap2018–19nowrapTDS RacingLMP2nowrapOreca 07nowrapGibson GK428 4.2 L V8SPALMSSILFUJSHASEBSPA
LMS16th12
nowrap2019–20nowrapRebellion RacingLMP1nowrapRebellion R13nowrapGibson GL458 4.5 L V8SIL
FUJ
SHA
BHR
COA
SPA
LMS
BHR3rd145
2021nowrapRealteam RacingLMP2nowrapOreca 07nowrapGibson GK428 4.2 L V8SPA
ALG
MNZ
LMS
BHR
BHR
10th50
2022nowrapRealTeam by WRTLMP2nowrapOreca 07nowrapGibson GK428 4.2 L V8SEB
SPA
LMS
MNZ
FUJ
BHR
4th96
2024nowrapHertz Team JotaHypercarnowrapPorsche 963nowrapPorsche 9RD 4.6 L Turbo V8QAT
IMO
SPALMS
SÃO
COA
FUJ
BHR
10th*35*

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula E results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

YearTeamChassisPowertrain12345678910111213141516PosPoints
nowrap2020–21nowrapROKiT Venturi RacingnowrapSpark SRT05enowrapMercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02DIR
DIR
RME
RME
VLC
VLC
MCO
PUE
PUE
NYC
NYC
LDN
LDN
BER
BER
18th54
id=2022 nowrap2021–22nowrapJaguar TCS RacingnowrapSpark SRT05enowrapJaguar I-Type 5DRHDRHMEXRMERMEMCOBERBERJAKMRKNYCNYCLDNLDNSEO
SEO
22nd0
nowrap2022–23nowrapNissan Formula E TeamnowrapFormula E Gen3nowrapNissan e-4ORCE 04MEX
DRH
DRH
HYD
CAP
SAP
BER
BER
MCO
JAK
JAK
POR
RME
RME
LDN
LDN
10th63
nowrap2023–24nowrapAndretti GlobalnowrapFormula E Gen3nowrapPorsche 99X ElectricMEX
DRH
DRH
SAP
TOK
MIS
MIS
MCO
BER
BER
SIC
SIC
POR
POR
LDN
LDN
15th47

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Norman Nato . venturiracing.com . 28 February 2020 . 10 December 2020.
  2. Web site: Norman Nato . driverdb.com . 10 December 2020.
  3. Web site: F4 Eurocup 1.6 2010. driverdb.com. Driver Database. 6 December 2012.
  4. Web site: Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup 2011. driverdb.com. Driver Database. 6 December 2012.
  5. Web site: Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 2011. driverdb.com. Driver Database. 6 December 2012.
  6. News: New boys and old hands raring to go. 27 April 2012. Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. Renault Sport. 6 December 2012. 23 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131023022242/http://www.renaultsport.com/New-boys-and-old-hands-raring-to.html. dead.
  7. News: Maiden victory for Norman Nato. 2 June 2012. Renault Sport. World Series by Renault. 6 December 2012. https://archive.today/20130213135715/http://www.worldseriesbyrenault.fr/en/tv_news/news/Pages/MaidenvictoryforNormanNato.aspx. 13 February 2013. dead.
  8. News: In Barcelona Daniil Kvyat (Koiranen Motorsport) seizes 2012 Formula Renault 2.0 ALPS title. 21 October 2012. RenaultSport Italia. Fast Lane Promotion. 6 December 2012.
  9. News: Norman Nato with DAMS in 2013, 30/11/2012. DAMS.fr. DAMS. 30 November 2012. 6 December 2012. https://archive.today/20130106203743/http://www.dams.fr/detail-actu2.php?lang=en&id=410. 6 January 2013. dead.
  10. Web site: Norman Nato switches to GP2 with Arden for 2015 season. 29 January 2015 .
  11. Web site: Barstow . Ollie . Nato completes Racing Engineering line-up . Crash.net . 4 February 2016 . 10 December 2020.
  12. Web site: GP2 Series 2016 standings . driverdb.com/ . 10 December 2020.
  13. Web site: Khorounzhiy . Valentin . GP2 race winner Norman Nato and Sean Gelael join Arden for 2017 . Autosport.com . 3 February 2017 . 10 December 2020.
  14. Web site: FIA Formula 2 Championship 2017 standings . driverdb.com . 10 December 2020.
  15. News: Klein. Jamie. FE points leader Jean-Eric Vergne adds ELMS campaign. 9 February 2018. Autosport. Motorsport Network. 8 February 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180210002236/https://www.autosport.com/other/news/134287/fe-points-leader-vergne-adds-elms-campaign. 10 February 2018. Racing Engineering, will not participate in Formula 2 this season, is one of the new additions on the entry list with Norman Nato its only confirmed driver in its Oreca 07.. live.
  16. Web site: European Le Mans Series - LMP2 2018 standings . driverdb.com/ . 10 December 2020.
  17. Web site: IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship - Prototype 2018 standings . driverdb.com/ . 10 December 2020.
  18. Web site: European Le Mans Series - LMP2 2019 standings . driverdb.com/ . 10 December 2020.
  19. Web site: Kilbey . Stephen . Rebellion Racing signs Nato for 2019-20 . racer.com . 9 August 2019 . 10 December 2020.
  20. Web site: LMP World Endurance Drivers Championship 2020 standings . driverdb.com . 10 December 2020.
  21. Web site: Thukral . Rachit . Duval makes full-time WEC return alongside Nato with new LMP2 team . Autosport.com . 18 January 2021 . 20 January 2021.
  22. Web site: Larkam . Lewis . Nato named Venturi's Formula E reserve driver for 2018/19 . Crash.net . 7 December 2018 . 10 December 2020.
  23. Web site: Kalinauckas . Alex . Marrakech Formula E: Muller tops rookie test for second year in row . Autosport.com . 13 January 2019 . 10 December 2020.
  24. Web site: Venturi retains Norman Nato and Arthur Leclerc as test/reserve drivers . Motorsport Week . 20 November 2019 . 10 December 2020.
  25. Web site: Khorounzhiy . Valentin . Cassidy smashes lap record in Formula E rookie test . Motorsport.com . March 2020 . 10 December 2020.
  26. Web site: Kew . Matt . Nato to replace ex-F1 driver Massa at Venturi for 2020-21 Formula E season . . 16 October 2020 . 10 December 2020.
  27. Web site: Kew . Matt . Rome E-Prix: Vandoorne resists late pressure to win, Bird taken out on last lap . . 11 April 2021 . 26 April 2021.
  28. Web site: Kew . Matt . Valencia E-Prix: Rookie Dennis scores lights-to-flag win for BMW . . 25 April 2021 . 26 April 2021.
  29. Web site: Kew . Matt . Berlin E-Prix: Nato wins race, de Vries takes title for Mercedes . . 15 August 2021 . 25 August 2021.
  30. Web site: Smith. Topher. 15 September 2021. ROKiT Venturi Racing signs di Grassi alongside Mortara for Season 8. 15 September 2021. Downforce Radio. en.
  31. Web site: Boxall-Legge . Jake . Nato joins Dillmann as Jaguar Formula E reserve driver . . 17 January 2022 . 17 January 2022.
  32. Web site: Boxall-Legge . Jake . Bird out for Seoul Formula E finale, Nato to cover at Jaguar . Autosport.com . 5 August 2022 . 11 August 2022.
  33. Web site: Klein. Jamie. Fenestraz, Nato join Nissan for 2022-23 Formula E season. 23 August 2022. 23 August 2022. Motorsport.com.
  34. Web site: Hughes . Jasmine . 2023-01-16 . Frijns injured after Mexico City E-Prix collision . 2023-01-23 . FormulaNerds.com . en-US.
  35. Web site: 2023-02-25 . Nissan Formula E Team takes pole at inaugural Cape Town E-Prix . 2024-01-02 . Official ASEAN Newsroom . en.
  36. Web site: 6 May 2023 . Cassidy Wins In Monaco, Takes Standings Lead . fiaformulae.com.
  37. Web site: Nissan rises after Formula E software updates, Fenestraz shines in Monaco: "Our best weekend yet" - e-formula.news . 2024-01-02 . e-formula.news.
  38. Web site: Formula E: Nato celebrates 1st podium of the season in Rome - but probably too late to stay with Nissan - e-formula.news . 2024-01-02 . e-formula.news.
  39. Web site: Nato set for Nissan exit as team chases De Vries or Rowland. 18 July 2023. 13 September 2023. The Race. en.
  40. Web site: Nissan eventually overtakes customer team McLaren thanks to Norman Nato: "He saved the team" - e-formula.news . 2024-01-02 . e-formula.news.
  41. Web site: Norman Nato Signs Up With Andretti For Season 10. 12 Sep 2023. 13 September 2023. The Official Home of Formula E.. en.
  42. Web site: Formula E relsult of Mexico .
  43. Web site: Nato and Andretti part company. 9 August 2024. 10 August 2024. The Official Home of Formula E.. en.