Formula E

Nissan Formula E Team concludes encouraging pre-season test

December 16, 2022

5 min Reading

Squad takes confidence from a solid testing week in Valencia as preparation for Season 9 continues

Nissan Formula E Team has completed a positive pre-season test in Valencia, as the Formula E 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 in Valencia," said Tommaso Volpe, general manager, Nissan Formula E and managing director, Nissan Formula E Team. "It's been challenging to acclimatize 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 1 and applying what we learned in the factory, and then on Days 2 and 3 we looked to improve our performance and saw some good results, with Norman consistently in the top ten and fastest on Thursday. 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."

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 14 January 2023.

Norman Nato

"There was a lot to get used to this week with the new technology, but that's the point of testing so we jumped straight in to find out about our car. It was brilliant to work together with the entire team for the first time and we showed some great potential, particularly on Thursday when we topped the timesheets. There's still a lot of areas to improve on, which is expected, so it's going to be important to have a good debrief and arrive strongly in Mexico City. Thanks to the team for their hard work, they've been pushing massively in recent weeks. I'm looking forward to some time off, to rest and make sure I'm fresh for the beginning of the season."

Sacha Fenestraz

"It's been a really good test and an important one for me as a rookie. We had a few small issues, but nothing too serious and I was able to learn a lot. It's a different style of driving, so that will take some getting used to, but I was feeling good in the car and put in some strong lap times. One of the biggest points for me was learning where the limit of the car was, it's very easy to overdo it. I worked well with the team and now I'm very excited to go racing, we've been doing lots of testing so I'm itching to get to Mexico! I think we have a good car, and I'm really looking forward to the season ahead."