Nissan Formula E Team showed great race pace during Round 8 of the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as both Oliver Rowland and Sacha Fenestraz scored points following a tough qualifying at the Monaco E-Prix.
In closely-matched groups around the Circuit de Monaco, neither driver was able to advance to the Duels stage of qualifying, with Fenestraz lining up 14th on the grid, just ahead of Rowland in 15th.
The duo enjoyed solid starts, quickly moving up into the top-10. In a 31-lap race twice interrupted by Safety Car interventions, the pair battled hard and avoided major incidents to secure well-deserved points.
Englishman Rowland picked up sixth to keep himself in the frame for the title battle, while Franco-Argentine Fenestraz finished in the top-10 for the third time in a row, clinching eighth. The event also sees the squad remain fourth in Teams’ Standings, having scored in each of the last six races.
Heading into the second half of Season 10, Formula E returns to Berlin in two weeks’ time for a double-header in the German capital.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s always a tough day for all of the teams in Monaco with short turnarounds between sessions. To be spot on with car set-up is very important, and unfortunately, we had a few issues with the tires, which affected our qualifying performance after a couple of messy practice sessions. In the E-Prix, our plan was to be aggressive and both drivers executed our strategy perfectly. They showed how strong we are in races, making some great moves, attacking and defending at the right times and scoring solid points. It’s a positive result for us, our target was to have both cars in the top-10 and we achieved that, so we come away happy and with a good plan of how we can continue to improve ahead of Berlin.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “It was an interesting race! I’m happy with our performance, we had solid pace and stayed out of trouble. Qualifying was tougher, our one-lap speed wasn’t as good as in previous rounds, so we need to work out why and put it right for the upcoming events. However, in the race, we performed really well as a team, it was one of my strongest races of the season. Sacha was right with me all the way as we moved forward through the pack, which is a huge positive for us. We’re still building as a team, results have been strong recently, so we now need to keep our confidence and push for even more in Berlin.”
Sacha Fenestraz, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “It was a solid race, making it three points finishes in the last three E-Prixs for me, which is pleasing. We turned it around after a challenging qualifying, and it’s good to see both Oli and I in the points. We helped each other out and played a good team game, so overall it was a positive race. We’ve been improving throughout the season after a difficult start, so hopefully we can continue this trend and pick up a podium on my side! We are becoming stronger as a team, the car is performing well, but we need to keep pushing and developing in Berlin.”