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It's been less than a year since Nissan announced its entry into the ABB FIA Formula E Championship but today, with just months before the first race of Season 5, the Japanese car manufacturer has named Sebastien Buemi and Alex Albon as the team's drivers for its debut season.
Partnering up with racing outfit e.dams, which helped Renault achieve three championship titles in the past four seasons, Nissan hopes to bring to the track some of its experience in electric cars after selling over 350,000 all-electric Nissan Leaf vehicles since 2010.
Aside from the manufacturer's credentials, the team will be looking to the experience of its frontman Sebastien Buemi, who comes to the team after four seasons with Renault e.dams. As one of the most accomplished drivers in the series, Buemi not only holds a championship title (2015/16) but also holds the record for the most wins. After missing out on the top spot in Season 4, which went to Techeetah's Jean-Eric Vergne, will Buemi be able to return to form with newcomers Nissan e.dams?
“Season five will be a whole new beginning for me in many ways,” said Buemi. “There’s so much that’s new – the cars, the race format, the venues. I look forward to continuing to work with e.dams and bringing the excitement of Nissan’s world-leading electric vehicle technology to motorsports fans all over the globe.”
Fresh into Formula E after a (so far) successful season in the FIA Formula 2 championship is Formula E rookie driver Alex Albon. After finishing second in the 2016 GP3 series, Albon will need to learn the ways of the city streets fast if he's to make an impression on the Formula E leaderboard in Season 5. With all-new Gen2 cars, new city street circuits and new rules, the level of competition will be higher than ever before when racing commences on the streets of Saudi Arabia on December 15.
“The level of competition in the series is intense, and I’m looking forward to testing myself against some of the best drivers in the world,” said Albon.
“Electric street racing will be a new challenge for me, but working with Sebastien as my teammate will be a huge help, as he has set the benchmark for performance in the series.”
With e.dams Principal Jean-Paul Driot continuing from his sucessful stint with Renault, the Frenchman hopes the new paring will prove to be a recipe for success in the new season. “Sebastien has been an important part of the e.dams team since our first Formula E race four years ago in China. We know Alex well from his performances with DAMS in Formula 2, and we’re excited to bring his talent into the Formula E championship,” said Driot.
Click here to learn more about Season 5 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.