Nissan have paid the price for breaking the Season Nine Formula E budget cap to the tune of around £250,000, and there is yet more punishment to come.
The French-based team broke the budget cap by under 2% and were slapped with a fine, as well as a ban from the first day of Season 10 testing.
It means that their cars won’t be allowed to hit the tarmac until day two on November 5 at Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo.
They agreed to an Accepted Breach Agreement last week, along with Jaguar who also broke the rules last season.
Oliver Rowland says missing Valencia test ‘not ideal’
Nissan were surprise front-runners for much of the Season Nine championship and were pleased with their progress.
The downside to that is that there is now a lot of expectation on them to build on that, which will be a tricky task.
Speaking to RacingNews365 about the ordeal, the Brit discussed how missing the first day of the test shouldn’t hold Nissan back too much.
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“Obviously, it’s never good to have to miss out on track time. There’s not much more to say, other than it’s a little bit disappointing not to be able to do the first afternoon.
“But it’s also not the end of the world, it’s a long season. I think we accept, even though I wasn’t here, that there was things that we probably could have, should have done better. It’s not ideal, but it’s also not the end of the world.”
How can Nissan progress in Season 10?
Nissan welcomes a new driver in the form of Norman Nato for the upcoming season, bringing a blend of speed and experience to the team.
The Frenchman is an adaptable driver and has experience across all sorts of racing categories, so should be able to provide good feedback.
The combination of him with Rowland is an excellent basis for them to chase their best result since 2019 – which was second place in the constructors’.
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If they can deliver race-winning promise again, then they can be taken for serious contenders again, but missing out on a day of running won’t do them any favours.
It will allow their rivals to farm extra data and adjust to the new Gen3 Evo machinery sooner, possibly denting their hopes at the first race in Sao Paulo.