From karting titles in Cannes to a rookie Formula E win in Berlin, three overall WEC wins and a 2026 Formula One test at Mugello.
Norman Nato is a French racing driver who has three overall World Endurance Championship wins, a 2021 Formula E victory at Berlin and a Ferrari simulator role. He moved through Formula Renault, GP2 and Formula 2 before switching to sportscars in 2018.
Norman Nato, a French driver born in Cannes, currently races in endurance sportscars with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota. He has three overall World Endurance Championship wins, two in LMP1 for Rebellion and one in the Hypercar class for Cadillac. Alongside that he won a Formula E race at Berlin in 2021 and works as a simulator driver for Ferrari.
How did Nato's career begin in karting and Formula Renault?
Nato began karting at nine years old, and his 2004 and 2005 seasons brought titles in the French Minimes and Cadet classes. Later karting honours included the Copa Campeones Trophy KF2 in 2007, the French KZ2 Championship in 2009 and the KZ2 Monaco Kart Cup in 2010.
His single-seater debut in 2010 was in the F4 Eurocup 1.6 with Autosport Academy. He won at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragon on debut, took a second win at Barcelona and finished runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne, with eight podiums and 123 points.
A step up to Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with R-ace GP followed in 2011, when he took two podiums at the Nurburgring and Barcelona and finished 11th overall. In 2012 he moved to the debutant RC Formula team, where a win at Spa and three further podiums gave him fourth place with 96 points.
That same year he also raced in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series, where he was the main challenger to Daniil Kvyat. A collision with Kvyat in the Barcelona finale cost him the title by three points, though the season still brought four wins and four more podiums.
A karting champion from Cannes who won in Berlin as a rookie and then in endurance racing's top class.
What did Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 bring him?
Nato stepped into the World Series by Renault in 2013, joining DAMS with Kevin Magnussen as his team-mate. That season produced one pole position and 13th place with 33 points. He stayed at DAMS in 2014, partnering Carlos Sainz Jr., and finished seventh with 89 points after two wins.
The Monaco round of 2014 was the high point. He started from pole, won the race and set the fastest lap, a combination that is known as a Grand Slam. It was one of the two victories that season.
Arden International made him its lead driver in GP2 on 29 January 2015, and he finished 18th overall with 20 points. The following year he switched to Racing Engineering, won the opening race at Barcelona and added podiums at Monaco, Hungary and Malaysia. A Monza win helped him to fifth in the standings with 136 points.
In 2017 he went back to Arden for the Formula 2 era of the feeder series. He won at Baku, where he beat eventual champion Charles Leclerc, and finished second in the Bahrain and Silverstone feature races. The season ended ninth overall with 91 points.
When did Nato switch to sportscars?
He made the move in 2018 with Racing Engineering in the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series. Victory came in the opening round at Le Castellet, shared with Paul Petit and Olivier Pla. Another podium came at the Red Bull Ring, and the season closed with third place on 66 points.
The same year brought two endurance firsts. He started his first 24 Hours of Le Mans with SMP Racing and came home tenth, and he also raced at Petit Le Mans in the WeatherTech series with Tequila Patron ESM, placing 11th.
In 2019 he joined reigning ELMS champions G-Drive Racing. He contested the opening two rounds, finishing fourth at Le Castellet and winning at Monza.
How did Nato win in the World Endurance Championship?
His WEC debut came in 2019 at the 6 Hours of Spa with TDS Racing, where he took fourth in class. For 2019-20 he moved to Rebellion Racing in LMP1, and the 4 Hours of Shanghai gave him his first overall WEC victory.
Later that season he added a victory at the 2020 Lone Star Le Mans, held at Circuit of the Americas, and finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 88th edition of the race. The campaign ended with third in the drivers' standings alongside Gustavo Menezes and Bruno Senna, and Nato himself stood on the podium six times in seven entries.
For 2021 he moved to Realteam Racing in LMP2, partnering Loic Duval, with team owner Esteban Garcia alongside them.
What is Nato's record by series?
| Series | Years | Teams | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|
| F4 Eurocup 1.6 | 2010 | Autosport Academy | Runner-up, 123 points, two wins |
| Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | 2011-2012 | R-ace GP, RC Formula | Fourth in 2012, 96 points, one win |
| Formula Renault 2.0 Alps | 2012 | RC Formula | Runner-up, four wins |
| Formula Renault 3.5 | 2013-2014 | DAMS | Seventh in 2014, 89 points, two wins |
| GP2 Series | 2015-2016 | Arden International, Racing Engineering | Fifth in 2016, 136 points |
| Formula 2 | 2017 | Arden International | Ninth, 91 points, Baku win |
| European Le Mans Series | 2018-2019 | Racing Engineering, G-Drive Racing | Third in 2018, 66 points |
| FIA World Endurance Championship | 2019 onward | TDS Racing, Rebellion Racing, Realteam Racing, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota | Three overall wins |
| Formula E | 2020-2026 | Venturi, Jaguar, Nissan, Andretti | Berlin win in 2021, 54 points that season |
How did Nato's Formula E career start?
He began as Venturi's reserve driver in 2018 and attended Formula E's official rookie test in Marrakesh, where he set the tenth-fastest time. He returned to the rookie test in the 2019-20 season and finished sixth.
In 2020 he was promoted to a full-time seat, replacing Felipe Massa, an 11-time Formula One race winner. His team-mate was Edoardo Mortara, and his debut came at the 2021 Diriyah ePrix.
His fourth race start brought a podium: third place in Rome Race 2, later lost through disqualification for overusing energy. At Valencia Race 2 he crossed the line second, but a five-second penalty dropped him to fifth.
The season's high point came in Berlin, where a dominant victory gave Venturi its third Formula E win. Nato finished 18th in the championship with 54 points, which made him the team's most successful rookie.
Lucas di Grassi took over the Venturi seat from Season 8 onward, a handover dated 15 September 2021.
What happened in his later Formula E seasons?
Without a full-time seat on offer, he became Jaguar's reserve driver for 2021-22, partnering Tom Dillmann, a former Venturi driver. He stepped into a race seat for the last Seoul weekend, deputising for Sam Bird, who had broken a hand in London.
Nato returned to full-time racing with Nissan in 2022-23, teamed with Sacha Fenestraz. He was forced out of the Mexico City opener after Robin Frijns hit him from behind on the first lap, then opened his points with seventh at Hyderabad. A podium at Rome came from careful energy management, and his tenth place in the standings helped Nissan finish ahead of McLaren among the teams.
The Andretti spell in 2023-24 saw him replace Andre Lotterer, and he took tenth at the Mexico City opener alongside reigning champion Jake Dennis. The partnership ended when the season did.
He returned to Nissan for 2024-25, taking over from Sacha Fenestraz alongside Oliver Rowland. Nato scored 21 points and finished 20th overall, with a top-10 finish at London after climbing from 16th on the grid to ninth. A Miami pole was later rescinded after a penalty for incorrect Attack Mode use, and Rowland claimed the title that season.
Nissan kept him for 2025-26, but soon after the London ePrix he said he would leave the team and the series once the campaign was over.
What is Nato's role in Formula One?
Nato has worked as a simulator driver for Scuderia Ferrari since 2025. On 26 August 2026 he took part in his first Formula One test, sampling the SF-25 at Mugello.
