BMW i Andretti Motorsport finishes third and fourth in New York – Podium for António Félix da Costa.

New York. The BMW i Andretti Motorsport team enjoyed a
successful New York City E-Prix on Saturday. António Félix da Costa
(POR), in the #28 BMW iFE.18, finished third in the twelfth race of
this season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship. He was followed over
the finish line of the ‘Brooklyn Circuit’ (USA) by team-mate
Alexander Sims (GBR) in fourth place. Victory went to Sébastien
Buemi (SUI, Nissan).

 

This was the fourth podium for Félix da Costa, who started from
eighth on the grid, having previously won in Ad Diriyah (KSA) and
finished second and third in Mexico City (MEX) and Sanya (CHN). Sims
came home fourth for the second time this season. Félix da Costa
currently lies fifth with 97 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Sims
is 15th with 36 points to his name.

 

While fans in New York witnessed many incidents – one of which
resulted in the appearance of the BMW i8 Coupé Safety Car – and some
thrilling battles in hot conditions, the two BMW i Andretti Motorsport
drivers were able to steer clear of trouble. They were ultimately
rewarded for their flawless drivers with a strong team result. The
final race of the Formula E season will take place on Sunday.

 

Reactions to the New York City E-Prix:

 

Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director):

“Congratulations to the whole team on this strong result here at our
American home round in New York. We are in really good form again here
at the end of the season. Both António Félix da Costa and Alexander
Sims kept calm and remained fully focussed on their race, despite the
heat and the many incidents. Third and fourth place is yet more proof
that the BMW iFE.18 is one of the strongest cars in the field and is
good for top results. We want to demonstrate that again on Sunday –
and to end Season 5 with another highlight.”

 

Roger Griffiths (BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team Principal):

“We have a good day behind us. We were competitive with both cars
right from the first practice session. We could have finished even
higher in qualifying, but the result we had meant we were able to
attack in the race. Both António and Alexander had good, clean starts.
They pulled off some nice overtaking manoeuvres and drove
intelligently. The safety car period did not necessarily play into our
hands, but that is motor racing. Despite that, both drivers had what
it takes to finish on the podium today. Furthermore, that was – except
for Ad Diriyah – our best race of the year in terms of the total
points haul. We want to back that up tomorrow.”

 

António Félix da Costa (#28 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
8th place, race result: 3rd place, FANBOOST
voting: 5th place, points: 97):

“Although my car was damaged at the start, following a few contacts,
we had very good pace. We drove a clever race. I was able to save
energy in a few phases, in order to use it later in the race. That
allowed me to gradually work my way through the field. Alexander
helped me a little on my way to the podium. He also deserved a podium
finish. We both scored valuable points for the team. I am particularly
pleased to have claimed a podium for BMW i Andretti Motorsport here in
New York. That is great for the whole team.”

 

Alexander Sims (#27 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
5th place, race result: 4th place, FANBOOST
voting: 14th place, points: 36):

“That was a really exciting race – very hot and very demanding. My
start was very good, as was our pace in the early stages. Following
Alex Lynn’s technical issue, I suddenly found myself running second.
In the end, I had to settle for fourth. We got a superb result for the
team, which feels really good. I am looking forward to tomorrow. We
want to end the season on a high.”

 

The BMW i Support Vehicle Fleet.

BMW i is “Official Vehicle Partner” of the ABB FIA Formula E
Championship in Season 5. Spearheading the fleet were two Safety Cars:
The BMW i8 Roadster Safety Car (combined fuel consumption: 2.0 l/100
km; combined power consumption: 14.5 kWh/100 km; combined CO2
emissions: 46 g/km)*, which had been specially modified for use at the
racetrack, and the BMW i8 Coupé Safety Car (combined fuel consumption:
1.8 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 14.0 kWh/100 km; combined
CO2 emissions: 42 g/km)*. The BMW i fleet also included the BMW i3s
(combined fuel consumption: 0.0 l/100 km; combined energy consumption:
14.3 kWh; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)* as “Race
Director Car” and the BMW 530e (combined fuel consumption: 2.2-2.1
l/100 km; combined energy consumption: 13.6-13.3 kWh/100 km; combined
CO2 emissions: 49-47 g/km)* in its role as “Medical Car”.