Nissan Formula E Team secured valuable points this weekend at the Shanghai International Circuit in a challenging ABB FIA Formula E World Championship double-header. Oliver Rowland and Norman Nato ensured a double points finish during Round 10’s Pit Boost event on Saturday, while Sunday saw heavy rain hamper the team’s chances of building on that performance in Round 11.
During the first race day of the weekend the Japanese outfit made significant progress following a difficult Free Practice 2. For the eighth time in nine qualifying sessions, championship leader Oliver Rowland advanced to the Duels, lining up sixth for Saturday’s race, with teammate Norman Nato starting 15th.
The British driver fired into the lead battle at the start, claiming second after the first sequence of corners. With energy conservation key, the peloton-style race saw several drivers take turns out front, including Rowland, who recovered well after receiving contact from another competitor on Lap 6. He rejoined the fight for first as the Pit Boost window opened, making his stop slightly later than many rivals and re-emerging in the top three. With multiple cars battling in the final stages, Rowland narrowly missed out on a podium, finishing fifth.
Meanwhile, Nato managed his pace through the early stages, saving more energy than anyone else throughout the race. After completely his Pit Boost stop, the French driver moved into the top 10 and started to make his way further up the order. In the final stages, Nato’s excellent management saw him join the battle for the podium positions that included Rowland, eventually coming home just behind his teammate in sixth.
Sunday brought torrential rain, but the Nissan Formula E Team duo showed promising pace in the Free Practice session, with both inside the top 10 before it was suspended due to the weather. However, the pair were unfortunate in qualifying, with conditions worsening throughout the session. Rowland was forced to abort his final run and had to settle for 15th on the grid, while Nato was unable to improve as the rain intensified, qualifying 21st.
With the Shanghai circuit still soaked, the delayed race got underway behind the Safety Car. On Lap 8, it went green with the field spread out due to the rolling start. The tricky track conditions meant it was difficult for Rowland and Nato to make progress, finishing 13th and 21st respectively.
Despite Sunday’s result, Rowland retains a healthy lead in the Drivers’ Championship with a 68-point advantage, currently on 171 and still the only driver with multiple race wins (four). Nissan Formula E Team remains in a tight battle in the Teams’ Standings, sitting second on 190 points, just one behind first, while Nissan still holds the top spot in the Manufacturers’ with 285.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It was a mixed weekend overall for us. We’re pleased to have achieved a double points finish in the opening race. The team reacted brilliantly to a tricky start to the weekend, as in practice and even in qualifying we didn’t look as strong as in previous rounds. But we had a clean race until the very last laps and a great strategy, especially with Norman who made it all the way to the top three from P15 and with more energy than the cars around him. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to achieve our full potential amidst the chaos of the finishing laps and ended with Oliver crossing the line in P5 and Norman in P6.
“In the second race, the extreme conditions made overtaking very difficult, so starting at the back after a tough qualifying meant it was not possible for us to advance all the way into the top 10. It was a frustrating day for the whole team and, while we’re still leading the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Standings, we’ve lost our lead of the Teams’ championship by one point. However, there are still five races and we’re ready to keep fighting until the end for all three titles.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “Despite today’s result, the weekend overall has still been a positive one, taking a good amount of points on Saturday at a track that isn’t my favorite. The first race was very intense, so I was satisfied to take fifth, which was good for the Drivers’ Standings. This was the first Pit Boost event which turned into a peloton style round, so it was difficult to be efficient throughout. We lacked a bit of pace from Free Practice so to finish with 10 points is a credit to the great effort from the team. Today the result was disappointing, but to be honest it was one of the hardest races I’ve ever done. With such limited visibility due to the spray, it was just not possible to do any more. We still remain in strong contention for all three championships, which is the focus heading into the final part of the season.”
Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “We can be pleased with the strong race pace and points achieved yesterday. I am happy to have made up many positions, just missing out on a podium finish at the very end after being P18 at one point. It was great to see that this time our speed materialized into points. Today we struggled in the wet and tried a different set-up heading into the race, but still lacked pace and grip. We’ve shown great performance earlier this season in similar conditions, even though they’re not our most favorable. It was difficult and a day to forget, but that’s the way it can be in Formula E with pace and results changing a lot from one day to the next. We will look to build on this heading to Jakarta and regain the lead of the Teams’ Championship.”
