P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Nissan lost a likely easy victory in Formula E’s season-opening Sao Paulo E-Prix because a systems control issue caused drive-through penalties for all four of the cars running its powertrain
Nissan missed out on a potential easy win at the season-opening Sao Paulo E-Prix in Formula E due to a systems control issue that led to drive-through penalties for all four cars with its powertrain. Nissan’s driver Oliver Rowland was dominating the race until the penalty for the control issue, according to team principal Tommaso Volpe. The specific issue stemmed from the power transition between the front and rear powertrain, pushing all Nissans over the legality limit at different points in the race. While Rowland’s performance was strong, penalties affected him and his teammates, like Norman Nato, who also faced grid position confusion. Despite the setbacks, both Rowland and Nissan showed significant pace and efficiency potential that could have challenged leading teams like Jaguar and Porsche. Rowland’s race was further complicated by the mismanagement of the attack mode allocation and the initial start procedure issue that caused the penalty. In contrast, McLaren turned around their tough race start into a remarkable 3-4 finish with Taylor Barnard and Sam Bird.
