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TOKYO, Japan – Nissan Formula E Team completed its home Tokyo E-Prix weekend by scoring points in both races of the Formula E double-header, with Oliver Rowland finishing seventh on Saturday before securing fourth on Sunday in the first night event in the Japanese capital. Teammate Norman Nato recovered strongly in the second race of the weekend to take sixth, ensuring a valuable double points finish for the Japanese outfit. The results leave Rowland just 14 points off the Drivers’ Championship lead heading into the Season 12 finale in London.
Round 14
Saturday’s opening race proved challenging for Nissan Formula E Team, with both Rowland and Nato narrowly missing out on the Duels in qualifying and starting 15th and 11th respectively in hot and humid conditions.
A well-executed strategy saw Rowland save energy during the opening stages before making a late Pit Boost stop and deploying Attack Mode to climb through the field. The Brit gained eight positions to finish seventh and score valuable championship points.
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On the other side of the garage, Nato ran inside the points during the early stages before receiving a five-second time penalty following minor contact with another car. The penalty, served during his Pit Boost stop, ultimately dropped the Frenchman out of contention and he crossed the line 16th.
Round 15
Following overnight work to improve both cars, the team headed into Sunday’s race without the opportunity to validate its changes, after Free Practice 3 was cancelled due to adverse weather. Despite going straight into qualifying, both Rowland and Nato progressed to the Duels and lined up eighth and sixth respectively.
A wet circuit greeted the drivers for the second E-Prix of the weekend. With conditions continuing to evolve, the team judged the changing track well and executed a strong strategic race.
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After the first lap behind the Safety Car, the race got underway and Rowland made use of his early Attack Mode to move up the field. As the circuit began to dry, the Brit showed excellent pace to climb into the podium positions. After leading for several laps, Rowland expertly managed his energy in the closing stages. Following a late red flag, he held off the cars behind on the final lap to secure fourth.
In the #23 car, Nato struggled for grip in the opening half of the event, leading to him falling back. However, as track conditions evolved, the Frenchman took his final Attack Mode and delivered an amazing charge through the field, moving up seven positions during the six minutes. He crossed the line sixth, securing a valuable double points finish for Nissan Formula E Team at its home event.
Formula E now heads to London for the Season 12 finale on 14-16 August, with the final double-header of the GEN3 era set to decide both the Teams’ and the Drivers’ FIA Formula E World Championship titles.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It was a pleasure to compete in Japan in front of our home fans and so many Nissan colleagues and executives. Saturday’s race was compromised by qualifying, although a well-executed strategy allowed Oli to gain several places and score points, while Norman was unlucky to miss out after receiving a time penalty. It was important for us to turn things around on Sunday, especially at this stage of the championship and with it being our home event. Everyone worked extremely hard overnight and, despite not having the chance to validate our changes before qualifying, we adapted well and made the right decisions to put both cars in the points. While we didn’t quite have the same edge we’ve had in Tokyo in previous years, it’s good to finish our home weekend on a positive note. Importantly, we head to the season finale in London with Oli still firmly in the fight for the Drivers’ Championship, just 14 points off the lead. We know it won’t be easy, but it’s great to still be in contention going into the final weekend, and we’ll give everything we have over the last two races.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: Overall it was a positive weekend for us. I think we got the maximum we realistically could from the event and we’re still well in the fight for the championship. Scoring points from P15 on Saturday was a strong recovery after a difficult qualifying, even if it felt like there was potential for an even better result. The changes the team made overnight definitely paid off on Sunday, with both Norman and I reaching the Duels and putting ourselves in a much better position for the race. The team did an amazing job with the strategy and I was able to secure a good result, which was a positive way to end our home weekend. Being only 14 points from the championship lead heading into London means there’s still everything to fight for, and we’ll keep pushing right until the final race.”
Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: “Saturday was frustrating after picking up the time penalty when we were in a good position to score points. We narrowly missed out on the Duels and having to serve the penalty during the Pit Boost stop cost us massively. We made some positive changes overnight, and the changing conditions on Sunday meant we had to adapt throughout the day. The beginning of the race wasn’t easy for me, but as the track dried I was able to push more and make up several positions to finish sixth. I’m happy to finally have a clean race and score good points for the team, especially here at our home event. The support from the Nissan fans has been amazing all weekend, and now we’ll focus on London and try to end the season on a high.”
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