Team Principal of the Nissan Formula E Team Tommaso Volpe has revealed that the Japanese manufacturer are wanting to “fight for the podium” this weekend at the Berlin E-Prix double-header, after both of their drivers retired in the most recent round.
After making strong progress throughout the first half of the season so far, São Paulo was a disaster for Nissan, with Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz having both retired from the race. The disappointment left the team ninth in the Constructors’ Championship, with a big gap starting to develop between them and the top six. Nissan have shown great pace in qualifying especially this year; however, their current issue is remaining amongst the frontrunners during the race.
With the Tempelhof Airport Circuit being one that every team knows incredibly well, Nissan can perhaps enter this weekend with some confidence, especially as they won in Berlin back in Season Six. With it being a double-header, a strong weekend could drastically change Nissan’s championship position, something they’ll definitely be hoping for.
Volpe is hopeful that his side can “avoid” the challenges that the Tempelhof Airport presents, like the incredibly high-grip surface, with a good result hopefully set to be their reward for doing so.
“Despite this weekend being a double-header, we have to approach it the same way as any other and work on fine-tuning the set-up so that we can compete towards the sharp end across both races. This year, that job is made slightly easier because both races are being run in the same direction, unlike in 2022. The track surface in Berlin presents a massive challenge as it’s high-grip, which can overheat the tyres, so we have to try to avoid that in the race.
“There are a lot of overtaking opportunities at Tempelhof too, so that should make it a good spectacle for the fans. Nissan has performed well here in the past, and that motivates the entire squad as we all want to fight for the podium.