The Nissan Formula E team has completed a positive pre-season test week in Valencia, as the Gen3 cars hit the track officially for the first time ahead of Season 9.
The five-day event at Circuit Ricardo Tormo gave Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz their first opportunity to drive the new Nissan e-4ORCE 04 cars in an official capacity, with both putting in some strong lap times and gathering plenty of data ahead of the season opener in Mexico City in January.
After a day of focusing on set-ups on Tuesday, the team looked for more performance during the rest of the week, with Frenchman Nato consistently at the sharp end of the field and topping the timesheets on Thursday afternoon. Franco-Argentine driver Fenestraz, who is set for his first full-season in Formula E, also achieved some good lap times as he looked to get up to speed with the new car.
“Overall it’s been a positive week for us,” said Tommaso Volpe, general manager, Nissan Formula E and managing director, Nissan Formula E Team.
“It’s been challenging to acclimatise to the new technology but it’s the same for everyone and we showed plenty of encouraging signs. We focused on set-up work on day one and applying what we learned in the factory, and then on days two and three, we looked to improve our performance and saw some good results, with Norman consistently in the top ten and fastest on Thursday.
A lot of experience
“Sacha is getting more and more comfortable in the car, he did a good job and gained a lot of experience. The performance looks to be there so we’ll continue to work on ironing out some aspects to be in the best shape possible for Mexico.
“The whole team has been doing an amazing job, so I want to thank the crew. The first race will come quickly, so we need to have a good Christmas break, recharge our batteries and be ready to go for the new season.”
The Nissan Formula E Team will be back on track in Mexico City, with the season-opener of the 16-round 2022/23 FIA Formula E World Championship taking place at the iconic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on January 14, 2023