2023-06-02 20:53:51
YOKOHAMA, Japan – After an eventful first part of Season 9, with 9 races held across 5 continents in less than 5 months, Nissan Formula E Team drivers Sacha Fenestraz and Norman Nato reflect on their first season with the team, the challenges of Generation 3 (Gen3) cars and much more.
Sacha Fenestraz
What did you think of the adaptation process for Gen3 technology?
Sacha Fenestraz: When I started testing with Nissan last year, I soon realized that it would be almost like starting all over again with a clean slate. The car is quite different from anything I’ve experienced before, even the Generation 2 machine. I already knew about energy management from my experience with the Gen2 car, but I had to adapt my driving style.
Did you find it easy to adapt to Nissan?
SF: Yes, it was great! The relationship within the team as a whole is very good. On my side of the garage, both my engineer Johann and I are new to Formula E so we are learning together and are completely open minded when it comes to our relationship with others. When a mistake happens, we talk about it very openly and honestly. It’s been going really well so far and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with the team and improve together in the season.
I also have a great relationship with Norman, it’s the best I’ve ever had with a teammate. We don’t hide anything, we share data and ideas. When we started working together, he told me that he would be open and that we would help each other out, we quickly realized that we would have a healthy relationship here.
What were the highlights of your first Formula E campaign?
SF: Monaco! Even if I lost pole position, achieving this on a historic circuit that is so important for any racing driver was the ultimate for me. Of course the first pole position in Cape Town was very special, but for some reason Monaco gave me an even better feeling because I never expected it. Last year I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me I would start on pole in Cape Town and Monaco, but somehow we managed it.
Can you tell us how you felt the moment you took your first pole position in Cape Town?
SF: It took a few days for it to sink in. There were a lot of emotions, the start of the season was like a roller coaster for me, taking pole this year was not at the top of our targets for the current campaign, so to have achieved that feat was incredible and I was really happy with myself and with the team. Then, in Monaco, we proved that this was not an isolated achievement, making the satisfaction even greater.
How did it feel to face Norman in the qualifying semifinal in Monaco?
SF: I hated it! I take teamwork seriously and I don’t race just for myself, so I’m always rooting for both of us to get good results. I knew that one of us wouldn’t have the opportunity to fight for pole, it would have been really cool if the two of us could have met in the final and secured first and second place on the grid, but that’s Formula E and that can happen. Of course, as soon as I got in the car and lowered the visor I did the best I could and didn’t think about who my opponent was at the time. Still, it’s a shame it was Norman, I wish it was someone else, but obviously I’m glad to have Norman at the front of the grid with me.
What was it like fighting the championship leaders in Monaco?
SF: I think Monaco was one of the races where I learned the most in terms of strategy, about when to be more aggressive and what to do depending on who is in front. Being able to duke it out with the championship leading teams and riders was an opportunity to learn just by watching from behind. Of course, I’d rather be in front of them, but just watching was a great way to see our strengths and weaknesses against the top teams.
Norman Nato
What did you think of the adaptation process for the G3 technology?
Norman Nato: It was tricky in some ways because there are so many new aspects that we have to work on differently and learn in terms of preparing to drive the car, it was clear that it’s not the same technically compared to the Gen2. On the track it’s more or less the same, especially on the fast laps, it’s more a matter of strategy and technique that we had to change.
Do Gen3 cars live up to your expectations?
NN: In terms of power, I’d say it’s a step up, really. This is positive because we drivers can clearly feel the additional power compared to the Gen2 car. I think we would all like to have more grip overall, because it’s really difficult to drive the car the way it has to be done. We would like to accelerate a little more, but there is not enough grip for that.
Which of the 3 new circuits (Hyderabad, Cape Town, São Paulo) was your favorite and why?
NN: India’s, although Turn 1 was a mess! The rest of the circuit was great and it was really cool to fight on the track. It was also nice to drive in qualifying, the layout was very good. Brazil was quite different, I liked it a lot, it had a bumpy surface and it was challenging – that’s what I like about Formula E, when you have to fight with the car. Cape Town was an amazing place, but I think the track was too fast for those cars because of the level of grip we have.
What was it like racing at home on the Monaco circuit with the Gen3 car?
NN: Driving any car in Monaco is a pleasure and a dream, after all it is Monaco! It’s very special and the only annoying thing – apart from the race, which was obviously hard to swallow – is that it all happens in one day and you don’t have a lot of time to enjoy it. It all happened so fast, we spent two or three days doing media outreach, which is cool because it’s really nice to soak in the atmosphere, although ideally you’d have more opportunity to enjoy the moment on the track. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to race in Monaco, but reaching the limit in qualifying and performing well is even better!
Did the qualifying session in Monaco boost your confidence for the remaining rounds?
NN: Not much to be honest, because I never lost my confidence. This season we made some mistakes with the tire strategy or were unlucky, for example when we got caught by the yellow flags in qualifying in Cape Town and Brazil, so on occasions I felt like we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. . We demonstrated our speed in Monaco and that was very important for us to recover after the difficult weekend in Berlin.
What do you and the team need to fight at the top of the field in the second half of the season?
NN: I would say managing energy in the race and getting the most out of our two cars. So far, we’ve had trouble getting both cars to the Duels and we’ve never finished the race scoring points with both cars, which makes us different from other teams. Monaco was a perfect example of a race, we had the performance for it, but it didn’t happen. That’s what we need to develop in the second half of the championship and it will have a huge impact on the team’s standings if we do it right – I hope so!
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About Nissan in Formula E
Nissan debuted in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Season 5 (2018/2019), becoming the first and only Japanese automaker to participate in the all-electric category.
In Season 7 (2020/2021), Nissan announced its long-term commitment to Formula E and the Generation 3 (Gen3) car era, which runs from Season 9 (2022/2023) until the end of Season 12 (2025/2026) in the all-electric racing category.
With the acquisition of e.dams by Nissan in April 2022, the Japanese automaker took full control of its stake in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
In June 2022, Nissan announced that it will supply its electric powertrain technology to McLaren Racing throughout the Gen3 era of Formula E.
Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz form the Nissan Formula E Team’s driver line-up for Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Nissan is competing in Formula E to bring the excitement and fun of zero-emission electric vehicles to a global audience. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality across all operations and product lifecycles by 2050, Nissan aims to electrify all new vehicles sold by the early 2030s in all major markets. The Japanese automaker intends to use its expertise in transferring know-how and technology between the tracks and the streets, to offer even better electric vehicles to its customers.
About Formula E
Since it was created in 2020, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has been the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint, with investments in certified climate protection projects in all countries hosting its electric races. , to offset each season’s emissions.
All cars in the championship are electrically powered, making the series a competitive platform for testing and developing the latest electric powertrain technologies.
The biggest builders on the planet compete with each other on street circuits and Formula E promotes the adoption of sustainable mobility in urban centers, betting on combating atmospheric pollution and reducing the effects of climate change.
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