Nissan, the first Japanese carmaker to participate in the Formula E single-seater electric championship, will enter its fourth consecutive season which starts in Saudi Arabia this week. Collaborating with e.dams (Driot Associes Motor Sport), the Nissan e.dams team again has the services of Sebastien Buemi and rising star Maximilian Gunther.
Buemi and Guenther completed more than 350 laps between them and gathered significant amounts of data to further develop the fully electric racing cars. Running different simulations and exploring all new opportunities across the 5 test sessions in Spain, the team is preparing for the opening round at the Diriyah World UNESCO Heritage Site. During the two days, the cars will be racing on a tight and twisting street circuit with the added challenge of running after sunset.
Season 8, which will run until mid-August, will be the last of the current Formula E regulations, with the Gen2 cars unleashing more performance than ever before. The power allowance has been increased by 20 kW to 220 kW in Race Mode, and by 15 kW to 250 kW in Attack Mode. There will also be a new qualifying format featuring head-to-head runs and shorter free practice sessions will make life harder for drivers and teams – but will add even more excitement for the fans.
This season, the team will continue to link its presence in the championship to Nissan’s road EVs. In Diriyah, the drivers will race for the first time with a striking new livery specially designed for the new season. The design is an evolution of the team’s recognisable kimono-theme, with prominent bright red highlights that further assert Nissan’s mission to demonstrate the excitement and performance of its EV technology.
“After the pre-season test in Valencia, we are ready and excited to go racing again in Diriyah,” said Tommaso Volpe, Nissan’s Global Motorsports Director. “The cars get a power boost this season, adding yet more speed and spectacle to the competition. This is great for the fans but, of course, it also means that we will need to adapt the car setup to a higher power output while keeping a close eye on battery temperatures. In fact, one of the main challenges that we will encounter in Diriyah will be to accommodate to the track conditions, which can vary from very hot during the day to quite cool in the evening, adding another layer of complexity to the race.”
While some carmaker’s teams have left Formula E, Nissan has made a long-term commitment to the championship. It will be participating till the end of Season 12 which will take place in 2025/2026. The Gen3 era of the championship begins in Season 9 next year and will feature even more powerful and faster cars.
