Squad ready for series' first race in Florida since 2015
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Formula E Team is all set for Round 5 of the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship this weekend, as the series returns to Miami for the first time since its inaugural season.
The Japanese outfit has enjoyed a successful Season 11 to date, with Oliver Rowland taking two wins in four races to lead the drivers' standings, helping Nissan top both the Teams' and Manufacturers' Championships.
Meanwhile, Norman Nato will be looking to continue his streak of scoring points in the United States, having finished in the top-10 in both New York and Portland on all his previous trips across the Atlantic Ocean in Formula E.
Homestead-Miami Speedway has played host to every major North American motorsport series and now becomes Formula E's latest US race location. The original technical infield road course will challenge the drivers with high-speed sections and the best overtaking opportunities are set to be into Turns 1, 6 and 8 in what promises to be an exciting return to the Sunshine State.
Formula E's trip to the USA is an important one for the team, with the country being Nissan's biggest market worldwide. The manufacturer has been in operation in the USA since 1960, with its current headquarters based in Franklin, Tennessee.
Track action begins on Friday at 16:30 (UTC-4), with qualifying at 09:40 on Saturday ahead of the race at 14:00.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: 'We're proud to arrive in such a key market for Nissan while leading all three championships, and we have been working hard during the break to give ourselves the best chance to maintain our position. We know we've still got some fine tuning to do, which we've being focusing on during the break; now it's time to put it all together on track and make sure we extract the best of the new directions we found. It's always interesting to race in new circuits, as we often do in Formula E. However, there are also many unknowns that come with it, so we've been doing a lot of pre-simulation and simulation work to identify the key challenges and what will make the difference in terms of performance. We're expecting a peloton-style race and we know we have good pace, so we have to be ambitious and will be targeting a strong result.'
Oliver Rowland, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: 'I've had a good break, been away and done some driver coaching, so I've kept myself busy and now feeling ready to go again. Nothing's different on our side despite the excellent start to the season - I have my goals for each race which don't change. I'm in a good place mentally and we've been preparing well for this event. A new track is always exciting, it's a long lap so getting up to speed quickly will be important. The race strategy should suit my style with the energy saving, so I'm looking forward to being out there.'
Norman Nato, driver, Nissan Formula E Team: 'I've had a quiet and chilled time off, it was a busy pre-season with the opening round in December and settling back in with the team, so it felt good to have a proper break. I've been with my family, training and resting and now I'm ready to go flat out until the end of the campaign. For Miami, a new track is always an opportunity to perform strongly. Nobody has reference points from previous years, so it will be important to hit the ground running in Free Practice. We're expecting a strategic race, and we're trying to understand the best approach possible ahead of the weekend.'
Sérgio Sette Câmara, reserve and simulator driver, Nissan Formula E Team: 'The time spent on the simulator is so crucial in Formula E, especially at a new track, because of how complex the cars are. From my experiences in the sim, this is one of the trickiest circuits I've driven during my time in the championship due to its high-speed nature. It'll produce some great racing with wide sections of the track, and I think there will be a lot of important strategy calls and swapping of positions, which I can't wait to see live.'
Photo credit: Nissan posted on conceptcarz.com
