MISANO, Italy – Nissan Formula E Team scored its first victory of the Gen3 era as Oliver Rowland took the win in the first ever Misano E-Prix, while Sacha Fenestraz scored points in both races of the double-header.
Starting fifth for Saturday's race at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, Rowland put in an excellent performance, showing strong pace and awareness throughout. Crossing the line in second place, Rowland became the official race winner after the disqualification of another driver.
The British racer was impressive again in today's event, working his way through the field from 10th on the grid to lead. He was set to extend his championship advantage, but a technical issue with the data led to the car running out of energy on the final lap and stopping on track.
Sacha Fenestraz enjoyed a positive weekend in the #23 car. The Franco-Argentine racer battled hard to return to the points in ninth on Saturday, before making a strong step forward for today's event. Starting 13th, Fenestraz more than held his own in a closely matched field, once again working through his way up to eventually clinch a solid haul of points in fifth.
In addition to the two races, the weekend featured an FP0 session, designed for young drivers to gain experience in Formula E machinery. The team's reserve and simulator driver, Caio Collet, got his first taste of the Nissan e-4ORCE 04 during the session, helping the squad to prepare for the weekend.
The results in Italy see Rowland remain third in the Drivers' Championship, nine points from the joint leaders. Meanwhile, the team sits fourth in the Teams' Championship on 100 points. Formula E now travels to Monte-Carlo for the Monaco E-Prix, with the single-header event taking place on 27 April.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: "Overall it has been a very positive weekend for us. Oli performed amazingly yesterday, taking the official race win, our first since Nissan took full control of the team. Today was of course a frustrating one, a very small mistake cost us a potential fifth consecutive podium, which I think was definitely within reach today. However, he drove very well again, so big apologies to him for this.
"On Sacha's side, he had a strong weekend, continuing on a positive trend. Following yesterday points, he improved further, made his way through the pack nicely and put together a top race. He made some great moves and fully deserved the top-five finish. We've improved a lot on the strategy side, so we're feeling good at the moment and will keep working to have a successful event in Monaco in two weeks' time."
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: "Overall we must be happy with our performance this weekend despite the frustrating end to today's race. We've been in incredible form and to score 26 points at Misano is a positive thing. Our speed was great and the team got the strategy right in both races, so this is something we'll look to keep up in the coming races. Unfortunately today, we had an issue at the start which caused a problem with the lap counter, meaning it thought we had one fewer lap to race than we actually did. We were so close to another win, but we're proud of what we've achieved here and will continue to fight hard."
Sacha Fenestraz, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: "To be in the points in both races this weekend is a step forward for me. In these kinds of races, it's all about being in the right position at the right time to take advantage. I've learned a lot from Oli, and from my growing experience and having dropped back early on today, I fought to get up into the top-10. We're happy with P5, it's a good haul of points after a difficult few races leading into this. We're growing at every event, so we'll continue to work to be in a strong position in Monaco."
Caio Collet, reserve and simulator driver, Nissan Formula E Team: "I was really happy to drive the Nissan e-4ORCE 04 for the first time in Free Practice 0. As a new track for the team, it was important for me to help collect data and follow the plan we had in place, which we did well. It was a great experience and I'm delighted to have helped the team. Looking forward to being back in the car soon!"
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About Nissan in Formula E
Nissan made its all-electric racing debut in Season 5 (2018/19) of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, becoming the first and only Japanese manufacturer to enter the series.
In Season 7 (2020/21), Nissan announced its long-term involvement in Formula E and its commitment to the Gen3 era, which will run from Season 9 (2022/23) through to the end of Season 12 (2025/26) of the all-electric racing series.
In April 2022, Nissan acquired the e.dams race team, with the Japanese automaker taking full ownership of its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
In June 2022, Nissan announced it would supply its Nissan EV powertrain technology to McLaren Racing for the entirety of the Formula E Gen3 era.
For Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Nissan Formula E drivers will be Oliver Rowland and Sacha Fenestraz.
On 28th March 2024, ahead of the first ever Tokyo E-Prix, Nissan announced its long term commitment to Formula E, becoming the first manufacturer to sign up for the Gen4 era, which runs until 2030, reinforcing its pledge to its Ambition 2030 electrification targets.
Nissan races 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 its operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050, Nissan intends to electrify every all-new vehicle offering by the early 2030s in key markets. The Japanese automaker aims to bring its expertise in transferring knowledge and technology between the racetrack and road for better electric vehicles for customers.
About Formula E
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship became the first global sport to be certified with a net zero carbon footprint from inception back in 2020, having invested in certified climate-protecting projects in all race markets to offset emissions from every season of electric racing.
All cars in the championship are powered by electricity, with the series acting as a competitive platform to test and develop the latest in electric technology.
The World's greatest manufacturers race against each other on street circuits and Formula E promotes the adoption of sustainable mobility in city centres in a bid to combat air pollution and lessen the effects of climate change.
