The Nissan Formula E Team showed great race pace during Round 8 of the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as both Oliver Rowland and Sacha Fenestraz scored points following a tough qualifying at the Monaco E-Prix.
In closely-matched groups around the Circuit de Monaco, neither driver was able to advance to the Duels stage of qualifying, with Fenestraz lining up 14th on the grid, just ahead of Rowland in 15th.
The duo enjoyed solid starts, quickly moving up into the top-10. In a 31-lap race twice interrupted by Safety Car interventions, the pair battled hard and avoided major incidents to secure well-deserved points.
Englishman Rowland picked up sixth to keep himself in the frame for the title battle, while Franco-Argentine Fenestraz finished in the top 10 for the third time in a row, clinching eighth. The event also sees the squad remain fourth in Teams’ Standings, having scored in each of the last six races.
Heading into the second half of Season 10, Formula E returns to Berlin in two weeks’ time for a double-header in the German capital.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal of the Nissan Formula E Team, said: “It’s tough for all of the teams in Monaco with short turnarounds between sessions.
“To be spot-on with car set-up is very important, and unfortunately we had a few issues with the tyres, which affected our qualifying performance after a couple of messy practice sessions. In the E-Prix, our plan was to be aggressive and both drivers executed our strategy perfectly.
“They showed how strong we are in races, making some great moves, attacking and defending at the right times and scoring solid points.”
Driver Oliver Rowland said: “It was an interesting race! I’m happy with our performance, we had solid pace and stayed out of trouble. Qualifying was tougher, our one-lap speed wasn’t as good as in previous rounds so we need to work out why and put it right for upcoming events.
Becoming stronger
”However, in the race, we performed really well as a team. It was one of my strongest races of the season. Sacha was right with me all the way as we moved forward through the pack, which is a huge positive for us. We’re still building as a team and results have been strong recently. We now need to keep our confidence and push for even more in Berlin.”
Sacha Fenestraz added: “It was a solid race, making it three points finishes in the last three E-Prixs for me, which is pleasing. We are becoming stronger as a team, the car is performing well, but we need to keep pushing and developing in Berlin.”