Nissan Formula E team optimistic for next race after Mexico

MANILA: Thanks to Sacha Fenestraz's impressive qualifying performance at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the Nissan Formula E Team displayed strong potential in the first race of the 2022-2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The Franco-Argentinean racer did well in the Group Stage of qualifying to advance to the Duels, just missing out on a spot in the semifinals. Fenestraz showed his talent in his maiden race with the squad by running as high as sixth after starting eighth and making a great move to grab a position on the first lap. The 23-year-old kept up a good pace in a closely contested race before falling out of the top 10 in the final stages due to an energy management system problem.

Norman Nato also had a positive start in the #17 car, but was caught up in an incident and forced to retire on the first lap of the Mexico City Formula E grand prix.

"It's a little bit frustrating because we could see throughout the weekend that the car was strong," said Tommaso Volpe, General Manager Nissan Formula E and Managing Director Nissan Formula E Team.

"Sacha did an amazing job in qualifying to reach the duels, he showed great potential and almost made it into the semi-finals. In the race he was running well and putting in good lap times before an energy management issue at the end of the race. His performance deserved points, so we are obviously disappointed, but we have to move on to the next event and look for better there. We know we have factors to improve on but it's good to see that we are starting from a strong base, so we will analyze what happened today and build towards stronger results in Diriyah."

Meanwhile, Nissan Formula E driver Sacha Fenestraz said: "I was really happy to make it through to the Duels in qualifying, the competition is really tough so we did a great job and almost made it into the semi-final. The race was a bit frustrating, as we definitely had the potential to score points. Towards the end, we had an issue with the energy management. We'll look to find out what happened and correct it for the next race, but despite not scoring points it was a positive weekend, we made a big step between FP2 and qualifying and we know the areas we need to improve on."

Season 9 of Formula E returns at the end of the month, with the double-header in Diriyah taking place on January 27 to 28.

Nissan races in Formula E to convey the thrill and fun of zero-emission electric automobiles to a global audience. Nissan plans to electrify every all-new vehicle it offers by the early 2030s in major markets as part of its objective to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050. The Japanese manufacturer wants to improve electric vehicles for consumers by utilizing its experience in moving information and technology from the racetrack to the road.

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship became the first global sport to be accredited with a net zero carbon footprint from conception back in 2020, having invested in approved climate-protecting initiatives in all race markets to offset emissions from every season of electric racing.

All of the vehicles competing in the championship are electric-powered, and the series serves as a platform for testing and developing the newest in electric technology.

Photos from Nissan

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