Nissan’s Tommaso Volpe: First wet race of Gen3 era ‘another factor to consider’ in São Paulo

Tommaso Volpe, Team Principal of the Nissan Formula E Team has warned that this weekend’s inaugural São Paulo E-Prix could be the first wet race of the Gen3 era, throwing a massive “factor” into this weekend’s sixth round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Nissan claimed their first pole position of the season last time in Cape Town thanks to rookie Sacha Fenestraz, who set the fastest lap in the history of the all-electric series. The Frenchman almost converted his pole position into a podium, until he was sent into a wall on the final lap following contact with Nick Cassidy. Norman Nato was on hand to finish eighth for the Japanese manufacturer and claim some points; however, the team will have felt like they lost a massive opportunity to move up the standings.

After five races, Nissan are currently ninth in the Constructors’ Championship but have been showing significant progress in recent rounds, suggesting that it won’t be too long until they move up the leaderboard.

Following a four week break, Nissan are targeting a big-haul of points this weekend in Brazil, where the weather could really spice up the order given everybody’s lack of experience in driving the Gen3 cars in the wet. Volpe has revealed that Nissan have identified “where we stand in relation to our competitors” during the recent break, with the side now feeling confident that they “can continue to make progress round-by-round”.

“This weekend we’ll face a brand-new circuit that looks set to pose a different challenge to the other venues so far this season. It seems to be extremely bumpy and features long straights and large braking zones, but there is also the threat of rain to keep in mind. We haven’t had a wet race since Gen3 was introduced, so that may be another factor to consider.

“Over the break we’ve been able to evaluate ourselves and see where we stand in relation to our competitors. We know where our strengths lie and what we can improve on and we believe that we can continue to make progress round-by-round.”