Nissan Feeling the Formula E Pressure
Is this Formula E car ready for the pressure?
The fourth season of Formula E racing just wrapped up last month, but the new series is already waiting to start in December. While Renault has been a major force in the electric car racing circuit, winning three of the four seasons, it’s handing over the reins to Nissan, its alliance cohort. As you would expect, Nissan faces a lot of pressure to perform as well as its predecessor.
Pre-season thoughts
Filling the shoes of a racing powerhouse like Renault is no easy task, and Michael Carcomo, Nissan’s head of motorsports, knows it. Carcomo was one of the first people in the company to pursue the giant organization’s participation in Formula E, and he is very involved in this transition. He acknowledges that he has a capable partner in Nissan’s e.dams team. However, he told Motorsport.com that he’s not inexperienced enough to think the team alone guarantees success, especially since everyone is working with a new generation of Formula E car.
A new ride
Nissan is the first Japanese brand to join the Formula E race series, so it is eager to prove that it belongs there. It first announced its intentions to join Formula E at the Tokyo Motor Show in late 2017 and unveiled the car in its concept livery at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show in March. Considering that the Nissan LEAF is a leading consumer electric car, it’s not surprising that the company wanted a piece of the action. Every brand will be fielding a new Gen2 electric race car, so while Nissan is new to the EV racing game almost every other team will also be adjusting to a new vehicle.
When the Formula E plans were displayed to the press at an event in July, Carcomo stressed that his team’s big focus was energy management targets. He watched the competition in action during season four and made several observations about performance and strategy to pass on to drivers and engineers.
“We’ve certainly observed that energy management is the key to success in this championship,” Carcamo said. “For Nissan, the Formula E championship is a high-speed laboratory. We’re going to use our road car EV experience on the track, but we’ll also take what we learn trackside and use that for the road cars of tomorrow.”
The fifth season of Formula E racing kicks off on Dec. 15 in Saudi Arabia.
News Source: Motorsport.com
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