Following on from his ultra-impressive rookie season, Sacha Fenestraz has been retained by the Nissan Formula E Team for 2024 (season 10).
Despite having made his actual debut appearance in the season eight finale in Seoul – he replaced an injured Antonio Giovinazzi at Dragon Penske – season nine was Fenestraz’s first full campaign in Formula E.
He understood the all-new Gen3 machinery very quickly and was often a difficult driver to beat in qualifying. Qualifying was seemingly the Frenchman’s speciality last season, with him having claimed a maiden pole position in the fifth round of the season in Cape Town.
Fenestraz’s pole lap in South Africa was so fast that he broke the record for the quickest lap in Formula E history, although Jake Dennis broke that record again in Portland. Pole position would’ve also gone the 24-year-old’s way in Monaco, had his lap-time not been deleted for an overuse of power.
One-lap performance wasn’t an issue for the 2022 Super Formula runner-up, who was always expected to be kept by Nissan. Fenestraz is a very hot prospect in the paddock who is seen as a potential future World Champion, something which is difficult to disagree with.
Despite his strong pace at most rounds in 2023, Fenestraz only salvaged 32 points in season nine, courtesy of just four top 10 finishes. Whilst this can be put down to it having been his rookie season, this is definitely something which’ll need to be improved in season 10. His best race result last season was fourth, a position he claimed in Monaco and Jakarta race two.
He certainly has the ability to score points more often though, with some of his non-point scoring results having been due to Nissan’s unconvincing efficiency. Season 10, therefore, marks an opportunity to make some serious progress, now that he’s had a season to truly understand the series and the machinery
Fenestraz is eager to “hit the ground running immediately” next season, whilst he’s also looking forward to working with the returning Oliver Rowland, who’s replaced Norman Nato.
“I’m extremely excited to continue my journey with Nissan Formula E Team,” Fenestraz said.
“I’ll attack this season with a new approach as it will be my second year in the championship, so we’re aiming to hit the ground running immediately. I’m looking forward to building on our strong maiden year together and fighting for positive results throughout the season.
“I’m also very happy to welcome Oli back to the team. He knows most of the crew so I’m sure he will settle in really quickly and we can work well together to help the team move forwards. I can’t wait to be back on track soon and hoping for another great year together with Nissan!”
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