2022/01/25

YOKOHAMA, Japan – The Nissan e.dams Formula E team returns to Saudi Arabia for the fourth consecutive year for the opening races of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The tight and twisty street circuit located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Diriyah will once again host this spectacular double-header, to be held after dark for the second time, following its debut as than night racing last season.

After a strong pre-season test last month in Valencia, Spain, the Diriyah rounds will also be the first two races for rising star Maximilian Günther with Nissan e.dams. The German, who joined the team in September 2021, has already shown great pace with three Formula E victories.

Meanwhile, high-achieving veteran Sebastien Buemi will officially enter his fourth season with the team having signed with the Japanese brand since beginning his Formula E run in 2018.

Season 8 will be the last of Formula E’s current regulations, with Gen2 cars unleashing more performance than ever. Power allocation has been increased from 20 kW to 220 kW in Race mode and from 15 kW to 250 kW in Attack mode. While a new qualifying format with head-to-head races and shorter free practice sessions will make life harder for drivers and teams, it will add even more excitement for fans.

This season, the team will continue to link its presence in the all-electric championship to Nissan’s on-road electric vehicles. Buemi will once again race in his #23 Nissan Ariya, named after the Japanese automaker’s all-new electric crossover SUV. Günther will take over the Nissan LEAF #22, named after the brand’s famous electric vehicle launched in 2010.

At Diriyah, drivers will race for the first time in a striking new livery specially designed for Season 8. The design is an evolution of the team’s recognizable kimono theme, with prominent bright red highlights that further affirm Nissan’s mission. to demonstrate excitement and performance. of its EV technology.

“After pre-season testing in Valencia, we are ready and excited to get back to racing in Diriyah,” said Tommaso Volpe, global director of motorsport at Nissan. “The cars are getting a power boost this season, adding even more speed and spectacle to the competition. That’s great for the fans but, of course, it also means we’ll have to adapt the car setup to higher power while keeping a close eye on battery temperatures, indeed one of the main challenges we will encounter at Diriyah will be adapting to the track conditions, which can vary from very hot during the day to quite chilly in the evening, adding another layer of race complexity.

“We are all looking forward to the coming season; the whole team is very motivated, and we will work hard to see good results on the track. Our objective is not only to fight to get back to the top of the standings, but also to continue to use Formula E as the ideal platform to promote Nissan’s expertise in electrification and reinforce our strong commitment to sustainability.”

Grégory and Olivier Driot, co-managers of the Nissan e.dams team, also commented: “After a short Christmas break, we are starting our final preparations for the first race of season 8. The team has been working hard to Valence to complete a busy test program – both Sébastien and Maximilian managed to take many laps and gather a lot of data through various simulations, which will be very valuable for us.

“The Diriyah track, with lots of high-speed corners, should suit our car package well. Also, the pre-season preparation and our experience on this unchanged track will be very useful for the car setup. he team has scored points in every Diriyah E-Prix since its first edition in Season 5, so we can’t wait to see the cars on track and start our campaign on a high note.”

Nissan is participating in this all-electric world championship to bring the excitement and fun of zero-emission electric vehicles to a global audience. As part of its goal to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations and product life cycle by 2050, Nissan intends to electrify all new vehicles by the start of the 2030s in key markets. The Japanese automaker aims to contribute its expertise in transferring knowledge and technology between the track and the road for better electric vehicles for customers.

Driver Quotes

Sebastien Buemi

“It’s great to be back on track with Nissan e.dams for our fourth season together in Formula E. We had the official Formula E test in Valencia in December, which was our first test session with the cars because they will be for season 8. I am convinced that we can make a stronger season than in season 7, with the objective of fighting again in front, and we will work very hard as a team to achieve this “I’m really happy to have Max as a teammate for this season – he already has a lot of experience in Formula E, so I think together we can take the team forward.”

Maximiliangunther

“I’m looking forward to the start of the season and my first Formula E races with Nissan. The nightly double date at Diriyah is a very special opening event, and the circuit is brilliant to drive – I really like it. the challenges This gives us. The track is sandy and more slippery than most other Formula E circuits, especially sector 2 with its combinations of very fast blind corners. It will be a great spectacle for the fans. Of course, it there are a lot of new things for me to start my first races with the team; but the test in Valencia went very well and the whole team is pushing together in the same direction, which immediately made me feel at home. I’m ready to go, so now it’s time to get to work.”

Watch the Nissan e.dams Season 8 launch video here.

TV details
https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/watch/ways-to-watch

#FANBOOST

Nissan e.dams fans can help its drivers access an extra boost of energy during every race by visiting nismo.com to vote. Voting opens three days before the race and closes 6 minutes after the start of the race. Only the top five drivers on the Fanboost Leaderboard can win the extra energy boost, so every vote matters to help Nissan e.dams drivers win the Fanboost.

More information
Please visit Global.NissanNews.com/FormulaEPressKit

Contact
Maria C. De Juana
Communications Manager, Nissan Global Motorsports
Telephone: +33 617 36 37 61
[email protected]

Sophie Roulatt
Press officer, Nissan global motorsports
Telephone: +44 7392 190 706
[email protected]