Norman Nato Bio
Norman Jean Claude Nato (born 8 July 1992) is a French racing driver. He competes in the Formula E World Championship for the Nissan Formula E Team and races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the Hypercar category. Across single-seaters, sportscars, and electric racing, Nato has built a versatile career that stretches from karting through Formula 2 and into the factory ranks of endurance and electric programs.
Nato first gained attention as a runner-up in the 2010 F4 Eurocup 1.6 season and again in the 2012 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series. He is also remembered for a standout Formula Renault 3.5 campaign in 2014, when he won both the prestigious Monaco round and the race in Hungary.
Early Life and Background
Norman Nato was born on 8 July 1992 in Cannes, France, a city on the French Riviera with deep ties to motorsport. Growing up along the Côte d’Azur, he was surrounded by a culture that celebrates racing, which made a future behind the wheel feel natural from an early age.
He began his karting career at the age of nine and quickly moved up the junior ranks in France. In 2004 and 2005, Nato captured the Championnat de France titles in the Minimes and Cadet categories, establishing himself as one of the country’s brightest young talents. He continued to develop his craft internationally, winning the Copa Campeones Trophy in the KF2 category in 2007.
By 2009, Nato added the French KZ2 Championship to his résumé and followed it with a victory at the KZ2 Monaco Kart Cup in 2010. These titles confirmed his readiness to graduate from karts to single-seater racing.
Path to NASCAR
Norman Nato’s path to professional motorsport has unfolded entirely outside of stock car racing. Following his karting success, he moved into single-seaters through the Renault and F4 ladder, eventually reaching GP2 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship. He later expanded into sportscar endurance and Formula E, where he has become a regular race winner.
While his career has not intersected with the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, his progression from regional karting titles to top-tier international programs reflects the kind of step-by-step development often seen in drivers who have gone on to race in American stock car events.
Norman Nato Career
Early Career (2010-2013)
Nato made his single-seater debut in 2010 with the Autosport Academy team in the F4 Eurocup 1.6 series. He won on debut at the Ciudad del Motor de Aragón and added another victory at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, finishing the year as runner-up to Stoffel Vandoorne with 123 points and eight podiums.
The following seasons saw him move through Formula Renault 2.0, including a 2012 Eurocup campaign with RC Formula that produced a win at Spa-Francorchamps and a fourth-place finish overall. That same year, Nato battled Daniil Kvyat for the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps title, finishing as runner-up in Barcelona by just three points. In 2013, he stepped up to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with DAMS, scoring one pole position and ending 13th in the standings.
Formula Renault 3.5 Breakthrough (2014-2015)
Staying with DAMS in 2014, Nato partnered Carlos Sainz Jr. and delivered his breakout year. He took two victories, including a Grand Slam performance at the prestigious Monaco round where he converted pole into victory and also set the fastest lap. He added a win in Hungary and finished seventh in the championship with 89 points.
On 29 January 2015, Arden International confirmed Nato as its lead driver for the GP2 Series. His rookie season in the Formula 1 feeder series ended with an 18th-place result and 20 points.
GP2 and Formula 2 Era (2016-2017)
Nato moved to Racing Engineering for the 2016 GP2 Series and opened the year with a win in Barcelona. He went on to take podiums in Monaco, Hungary, and Malaysia before adding a second victory at Monza. He finished fifth in the Drivers’ Championship with 136 points.
In 2017, Nato returned to Arden for the rebranded FIA Formula 2 Championship. He took a memorable win at the Baku City Circuit by beating eventual champion Charles Leclerc and added feature-race podiums in Bahrain and Silverstone. He ended the campaign ninth overall with 91 points.
ROKiT Venturi Racing Era (2018-2021)
Nato was named Venturi Racing’s reserve driver in Formula E in 2018 and continued in that role into the 2019-20 season. In 2020, he was promoted to a full-time race seat alongside Edoardo Mortara, replacing eleven-time Formula 1 race winner Felipe Massa.
After his debut at the 2021 Diriyah ePrix, Nato finished on the podium in only his fourth Formula E start, taking third in Race 2 in Rome, though he was later disqualified for over-consuming energy. He then recovered to score a strong Berlin victory, giving Venturi its third Formula E win. That result made him only the third driver to win a race in his rookie season outside of the championship’s inaugural campaign. He finished 18th in the Drivers’ Championship with 54 points and was replaced by Lucas di Grassi on 15 September 2021 for Season 8.
Nissan Formula E Team Era (2022-2023)
After a brief stint as Jaguar Racing’s reserve driver in 2022, Nato returned to a full-time Formula E seat for the 2022-23 season with Nissan, partnering Sacha Fenestraz. He opened his points account with seventh place in Hyderabad and eighth in Cape Town, then bounced back from a run of point-less events to score in each of the final six races.
A key highlight came at the Rome E Prix, where Nato managed his energy to the limit and finished second. He added two more top-five results to close the year tenth in the championship, helping Nissan finish ahead of customer team McLaren in the teams’ standings.
Andretti Formula E Era (2023-2024)
For the 2023-24 season, Nato switched to Andretti Formula E, replacing André Lotterer to partner reigning champion Jake Dennis. He opened the campaign with a tenth-place finish at the Mexico City E Prix. Nato parted ways with Andretti at the end of the season.
Return to Nissan (2024-Present)
Nato rejoined Nissan for the 2024-25 Formula E season, replacing Sacha Fenestraz and partnering former rival Oliver Rowland. Despite a relatively disappointing campaign, the team retained him alongside Rowland for the 2025-26 season.
Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Era (2018-Present)
Parallel to his electric racing, Nato has built a long association with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in endurance racing. He debuted in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2019, racing in the LMP2 class with TDS Racing at the 6 Hours of Spa. The following season he moved up to the LMP1 category with Rebellion Racing, taking his first WEC victory at the 4 Hours of Shanghai and winning the 2020 Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas.
He also finished second at the 88th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and ended the 2019-20 campaign third in the Drivers’ Championship alongside Gustavo Menezes and Bruno Senna. In 2021, Nato joined Realteam Racing in the LMP2 ranks before continuing his sportscar career with the rebranded Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the Hypercar class.
European Le Mans Series (2018-2019)
Nato made his European Le Mans Series debut in 2018 with Racing Engineering in the LMP2 class. He won the opening race at Le Castellet alongside Paul Petit and Olivier Pla and added a podium at the Red Bull Ring to finish third in the championship with 66 points. He also raced at the 2018 Petit Le Mans with Tequila Patron ESM, finishing 11th. In 2019, he joined G-Drive Racing and won at Monza after taking fourth at Le Castellet.
Driving Style and Strengths
Nato is known for his calm energy management in Formula E, a quality that helped him secure a podium in Rome and a win in Berlin. His single-seater background gives him a sharp feel for braking zones and tire management, while his sportscar experience has sharpened his ability to work with co-drivers across long stints.
Notable Races and Milestones
Key moments include his 2014 Grand Slam in the Monaco Formula Renault 3.5 round, his Baku Formula 2 victory over Charles Leclerc in 2017, and his dominant Berlin E Prix win with Venturi in 2021. He also reached the podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2020.
Norman Nato Career Wins
Norman Nato has accumulated victories across karting, single-seaters, sportscar racing, and Formula E. His tally includes karting titles in France, single-seater wins in Formula Renault categories, a Formula 2 victory in Baku, and a Formula E win in Berlin.
Formula E Highlights
Nato scored his maiden Formula E victory at the Berlin E Prix in 2021 with Venturi Racing, a result that made him one of only a few drivers to win in their rookie season outside of the series’ inaugural campaign. With Nissan, he added a second-place finish in Rome during the 2022-23 season.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond Formula E, Nato has won in the European Le Mans Series at Le Castellet in 2018 and at Monza in 2019, and in the FIA World Endurance Championship at the 4 Hours of Shanghai and the 2020 Lone Star Le Mans. He also took a Formula 2 win at the Baku City Circuit in 2017 and won twice in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series, including a Grand Slam in Monaco.
Norman Nato Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Norman Nato was born and raised in Cannes, France, and developed his early interest in racing through the local motorsport culture of the French Riviera. His family supported his karting career from a young age, beginning when he first climbed into a kart at the age of nine.
Personal Life
Nato continues to reside in Europe and balances his commitments between Formula E and the FIA World Endurance Championship. He has built much of his professional life around international racing circuits.
2025 Season Performance
Norman Nato’s 2025 activity spans the closing rounds of the 2024-25 Formula E World Championship and the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the Hypercar class. After a relatively quiet 2024-25 Formula E season, he has been retained by Nissan alongside Oliver Rowland for the 2025-26 season, signaling the team’s confidence in his energy management and development role.
In the World Endurance Championship, Nato continues to compete among the leading Hypercar entries, drawing on his long experience in prototype racing. His blend of single-seater race craft and endurance discipline remains a key asset for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota.
With continuity at Nissan and a stable seat in the WEC Hypercar ranks, Nato heads into the latter part of 2025 focused on converting consistent pace into podium results across both championships.
