In a significant shift in the world of Formula E, Andretti is set to transition from its partnership with Porsche to align with Nissan as it gears up for the Gen4 era starting at the end of 2026. This change has been largely anticipated and is expected to be officially announced following the conclusion of the current racing season. As a result, the upcoming campaign marks the final chapter of Andretti's collaboration with Porsche, which plans to modify its model and introduce four factory cars in the next season.
Currently, Nissan finds itself racing without any customer teams this season due to the unfortunate closure of the NEOM McLaren team last year. Consequently, the prospect of pursuing a manufacturers' championship to accompany the drivers’ title won by Oliver Rowland last season has become unattainable.
While Roger Griffiths, the team principal of Andretti, was somewhat circumspect when discussing Nissan, he did express to The Race last week that his team is aiming for a "closer relationship" with its forthcoming manufacturer partner in the Gen4 phase. He reflected on the initial interactions with Porsche back in 2021, emphasizing their strong desire to play a crucial role in enhancing the performance and efficiency of the car, along with developing control strategies.
Griffiths stated, "When we first entered discussions with Porsche, there was always this strong intention to be a fundamental part of their journey, contributing to making the car faster and more efficient, while also working on control strategies. We are definitely looking forward to Season 13 [2026-27] with the hope of establishing a closer connection with a manufacturer."
He acknowledged that the collaboration with Porsche had not progressed as hoped for various reasons, but expressed optimism about starting anew with Nissan. Griffiths hopes to foster a more integrated partnership, where both teams can collaborate more closely during testing, share resources, and develop intellectual property together.
Andretti's journey with Porsche followed a period of mixed success with BMW from 2016 to 2022. During that time, the team, which was known as BMW i Andretti until 2021, experienced sporadic victories thanks to drivers like Antonio Felix da Costa, Alexander Sims, Maximilian Guenther, and Jake Dennis. However, the partnership faced uncertainty in late 2020 when BMW unexpectedly announced its exit from Formula E, leaving Andretti in a precarious position just days after Audi made a similar announcement. This sudden decision caught Andretti off guard, with little warning prior to the official news.
As a result, the team was on the brink of completely withdrawing from Formula E. Fortunately, a rescue plan emerged, allowing Andretti to continue competing into the 2022 season, still utilizing BMW powertrains before signing a deal with Porsche for the Gen3 era beginning in 2023.
Andretti has proven to be quite resilient in the Formula E landscape, especially considering its rocky start in the inaugural season. In 2015, the team faced significant challenges with its attempt to run an independently developed powertrain, the ATEC-01, which was plagued by reliability issues and barely made an appearance during pre-season testing. This led to an embarrassing reversal, as Andretti opted to use a spec Spark-Renault package for the 2015-16 season.
This experience motivated Andretti to seek partnerships with more traditional manufacturers, ultimately leading to the collaboration with BMW that began in 2018. According to Griffiths, this model of manufacturer partnership is likely to continue moving forward. He shared, "Honestly, at this point, I don’t see us becoming a manufacturer ourselves. The knowledge required to develop a successful powertrain is immense. We appreciate the freedom to make our own decisions rather than simply being directed, but we want to engage actively in the car's development process, ensuring a beneficial exchange for our manufacturer partner as well. We prefer a collaborative approach where ideas flow in both directions rather than a one-sided directive."
With the upcoming partnership with Nissan, Andretti is poised to benefit from a relationship that has previously yielded positive results. Nissan had a generally successful collaboration with McLaren between 2023 and 2025, highlighted by an E-Prix victory for Sam Bird in Sao Paulo in 2024. Notably, the closest McLaren managed to finish in relation to Nissan was just seven points behind during the initial Gen3 season.
In terms of preparation for the new Gen4 era, Nissan has made a promising start with extensive testing completed during the initial group test at Monteblanco last November, where Benoit Treluyer served as a development driver. He will be joined by reserve and test driver Sam Bird at the upcoming second group test at the Almeria track in southern Spain this week.
