Rowland and Nato get first official experience in GEN3 Evo machinery as Pulling tops all-women’s test session
MADRID, Spain – Nissan Formula E Team has completed the pre-season test at Circuito del Jarama in Madrid as the squad continues to get set for the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Oliver Rowland and the returning Norman Nato both got on track in the new GEN3 Evo cars, which will feature for the next two seasons, while on Friday afternoon, Alpine Academy driver Abbi Pulling took part in the all-women test session.
Both Rowland and Nato took to the circuit with a focus on understanding the new aspects of the Nissan e-4ORCE 05 vehicles, such as the upgraded Hankook tires and the All-Wheel Drive system.
Thursday afternoon gave teams the chance to trial the new Pit Boost feature set to be introduced for Season 11, which will provide a 10% energy increase to the race cars through a quick 30-second 600kW charge in the pitlane, enabling drivers to subsequently activate Attack Mode afterwards.
The last session of the test on Friday morning resulted in both finishing in the top-10, with Rowland in sixth and Nato in 10th. Overall, across the official testing days, the Brit netted seventh while on the other side of the garage, the Frenchman was 12th on the timesheets. The duo gained plenty of useful data and information throughout the week, totaling a combined 389 laps between them.
Friday afternoon saw the much-anticipated all-women’s test session, with Alpine Academy member Abbi Pulling taking to the track. The F1 Academy championship leader was on the pace immediately, setting positive lap times throughout and finishing top of the timesheets at the end of the three-hour session.
Season 11 begins in São Paulo on December 7, 2024, with the campaign also set to feature a double-header in the teams’ home race in Japan, when the Tokyo E-Prix takes place over the weekend of May 17-18, 2025. The full calendar can be found here.
Tommaso Volpe, managing director and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team: “It’s been a week of learning the new GEN3 Evo technology and we’ve collected a huge amount of data. The All-Wheel Drive system and new tires have made the biggest difference, so this will be a learning curve for all teams in the build up to São Paulo. It was also great to try out the Pit Boost on Thursday and we’re confident it will bring an extra dimension to the championship.
“On the drivers’ side, Norman settled into the team really well and Oli’s getting back up to speed strongly as we look to continue from where we left off in London. It was also great to have Abbi taking part in the all-women’s test session. She was very professional and performed fantastically in the car to top the timesheets. We’re very pleased with our work this week and it sets a great platform to further improve before heading to Brazil.
“Finally, our thoughts remain with the people of Valencia after the tragic floods last week.”
Oliver Rowland, Nissan Formula E Team driver: “It was a valuable week for us, helping to understand the new GEN3 Evo cars as well as the new powertrain and tires. The tires are tricky to get into the correct window, but once you’re there they bring a lot more grip on one lap and should be interesting during the races. We’ve collected a lot of data throughout the sessions and now need to work on analyzing this to maximize our performance in São Paulo.”
Norman Nato, Nissan Formula E Team driver: “The final objective of these test sessions is to ensure we have the correct set-up going into the opening round. I feel strong in the 300kW mode, which is encouraging, and we’ll continue to work on the performance once the power is turned up. Now it’s all about understanding what we learned this week and preparing for a strong event in São Paulo next month.”
Abbi Pulling: “It was a really exciting session, and felt amazing to put what I’ve learned in the simulator into real life and to experience the thrill of driving a Nissan Formula E car. The lap times were strong which is very pleasing, I think there was more time to extract at the peak of the tire, but overall I’m happy with the performance. The whole team was great, explaining everything to me and answering any questions I had, so a big thanks to them. I’m delighted to have helped Nissan Formula E Team in the build up to the new season and I hope to have another opportunity to drive the car in the future!”