The Nissan Formula E Team left the inaugural Portland E-Prix having taken “positives” away from qualifying, but not really the race.
The Japanese manufacturer were incredibly fast over one-lap at the twelfth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship; however, they once again struggled for race pace. Sacha Fenestraz qualified second with Norman Nato in third, highlighting how fast the side were over a single lap. In the race and it was a bit of a disaster, as Fenestraz drove into the back of Nato.
The rookie broke his front wing as a result, which forced him to pit for a new one. This put him at the back and some way off the field, although, a Safety Car allowed him to catch up. Once back with the pack, the rookie failed to make much progress, as he crossed the line in fifteenth. Nato salvaged a much better result than his team-mate; however, it still wasn’t as good as the team were hoping for. The Frenchman scored two points after finishing ninth, with a brief spell at the front having cost him vital energy.
Team Principal Tommaso Volpe admitted that his side didn’t score the number of points they were expecting, in what was a “challenging race” for Nissan.
“It was a challenging race weekend, where we achieved a great result in qualifying, showing how fast we can be, but it was a chaotic race. A small contact compromised Sacha’s run, and after leading several laps, Norman didn’t have the pace in the car to stay at the front and lost a few positions. We didn’t score as many points as we hoped for, but we have to take the positives. We have a quick car in qualifying and from tomorrow our focus turns to the next race in Rome.”
