Excitement is building for the next season of Formula E with teams already announcing new cars and liveries. The Nissan Formula E Team recently revealed its striking new livery in Madrid – a bold design featuring a cherry blossom pattern that nods to the team’s Japanese DNA. It’s also set to debut its Gen3 car this week at the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s Season 9 pre-season test at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia.
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. After announcing its long-term involvement in Formula E in Season 7 (2020/21), Nissan has committed 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.
This week’s pre-season testing will also be the first time the Nissan-powered NEOM McLaren Formula E Team runs in an official Formula E session. Earlier this year, Nissan and McLaren signed a partnership that will see the British team run the Nissan powertrain for the entirety of the Gen3 era. The test begins on Tuesday 13 December and runs until Friday 16 December, with Thursday 15 December set as a designated media day, with no on-track running schedule.
“We are very excited for the test in Valencia,” said Tommaso Volpe, managing director, Nissan Formula E Team. “It’s the first time all the teams get together with their Gen3 cars. The level of innovation is a massive step up from the Gen2 powertrains, so it presents us with a very different challenge. We’ve got two new drivers and the team also has been through some changes, so we’ll be looking to work as a unit from the first day to find the best setup and learn about our car. We’ve been preparing as best we can and we’re looking forward to seeing the car on track in an official season for the first time.”
For Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Nissan Formula E drivers will be Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz. “We’ll aim to continue what we’ve been doing in recent months, preparing the best we can for the campaign,” said Nato. “Being fastest in Valencia is not a target for us, we’re fully concentrated on getting ready for Mexico [2023 E-Prix] in January. It’s not been long since last season. But we’ve been busy in the factory, and I can’t wait to get out on the track in the new car.”
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.
