Munich. On 15th December, the opening race in Ad
Diriyah (KSA) sees the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team get its first
season in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship underway. BMW works
driver António Félix da Costa (POR) has known the series from Season
1. Now, together with BMW i Andretti Motorsport, he opens a new
chapter. In an interview he talks about the impressive development
of Formula E and the new challenges with the BMW iFE.18 in Season 5.
António, Season 5 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will
mark your fifth season in the series. How has it developed since the beginning?
António Félix da Costa: “Being there from the start, it‘s been really
impressive to see the growth and the changes in Formula E over the
course of the last four seasons. It started as something people didn’t
really believe in, including myself, and now it is something every
driver wants to be a part of. But not only that, look at how
professional it is, how many top manufacturers have entered, how many
fans attend, and the level of sponsors involved. It’s really captured
the interest of the motorsport world. It’s been a really massive
journey for all of us and it’s now a series that everyone takes
seriously. It’s become really, really big.”
What changes for you personally with BMW entering as a manufacturer?
Félix da Costa: “Being a BMW works driver in Formula E is something I
aspired to from the beginning. I hoped from season one that BMW would
be involved one day and now, in season five, they are entering
properly. It’s actually all of the pieces of the puzzle coming
together. It’s nice when you have a plan and it works out. I’m really
looking forward to this season – I’m hoping we can achieve a lot together.”
How much can the championship improve with the entry of BMW
and other manufacturers?
Félix da Costa: “One big factor for the success of the championship
was how many manufacturers would come along. BMW is a hugely
successful manufacturer around the world and in seasons five and six
they will be joined on track by other big players including Porsche,
Mercedes, Audi, Nissan and Jaguar. For any series to have this level
of interest and commitment from industry leaders is very exciting and
suggests we have a very strong future.”
How exciting is it to be part of a whole new project like the
BMW iFE.18?
Félix da Costa: “It’s really exciting to be part of something new.
I’m still young and quite fresh with a manufacturer, so being able to
develop a new project within a company like BMW is great. There are a
lot of top people involved in Munich who are very excited to see this
new baby being born and grow as quickly as possible.”
How does it feel to drive the BMW iFE.18?
Félix da Costa: “The new car felt great from day one. The
driveability is really good. Of course, like everyone on the grid, we
were worried about how we would perform against our competitors but we
turned up at the Valencia test and showed we have a well-performing
and reliable car. With the BMW iFE.18 we’ve created something very
exciting and I can’t wait to race it in season five.”
How much can your work at the racetrack contribute to the next
generations of electric production cars?
Félix da Costa: “For BMW, having the Formula E project allows them to
challenge themselves more. The race programme gives them a test-bed, a
lab, for the development of the electric drivetrain. We encourage the
road car developers to really push and go as aggressive as they can
with their development tools. I think Formula E has already helped BMW
to set the bar with e-mobility and I think it will help to raise it
even higher in the coming years.”
How much fun are electric road cars to drive?
Félix da Costa: “Electric road cars are cool, fun and exciting and I
think Formula E is a fantastic way to showcase this. In Formula E we
do have to manage our energy to get to the end but this is additional
motivation to us. Our goal is to reduce energy consumption and if we
are learning new driving styles to do so then this is something we can
take into the way we drive on the roads in everyday life.”
Coming back to racing: What are the main technical differences
between the BMW iFE.18 and the Gen1 car?
Félix da Costa: “The generation two car looks a lot nicer – it’s a
big step forward with how futuristic and aggressive it looks. On a
technical side, we have more power and more range, which makes the car
change during the race unnecessary. Also, we have got the
brake-by-wire system. This is a big step forward for us as it allows
the software side to control all of the braking and deceleration of
the car, and when we brake how much regeneration goes back into the battery.”
Can you please explain the new rules concerning power modes?
Félix da Costa: “During the races we will now run at 200 kW
throughout, which was our qualifying power from last year. In
qualifying we will even have 250 kW available now. This year we will
also have ‘Attack Mode’: you have to go slightly off-line to trigger
it, then you have a certain amount of time that you can run with 225
kW. This will allow us to go faster, attack, defend and will encourage
people to run different strategies throughout the race.”
What are the special challenges you as a driver and the car
face on the narrow and often bumpy street circuits?
Félix da Costa: “Street tracks are always a big challenge for racing
drivers. Traditionally, we only got to race on one or two a year, but
with Formula E almost every race is a street track, which is an
incredible new challenge. I always loved street circuits and even
before Formula E had great memories of winning the Macau F3 Grand Prix
twice and being on the podium in Monaco. I really enjoy going to bumpy
tracks with no room for mistakes.”
What are your expectations for Ad Diriyah and Season 5 in general?
Félix da Costa: “The test in Valencia went well for us. Topping the
timesheets gives us a lot of confidence but we need to stay humble.
Our competitors are extremely strong so we are taking a cautious
approach to Ad Diriyah. We’re not really sure what to expect from the
event but we approach it with as much strength and motivation as we
can and then we will build our goals and expectations for the season
from there.”