Three lessons we learned – Geox Rome E-Prix.

Munich. The BMW i Andretti Motorsport team is contesting its
first season in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The engineers
gain more experience with every race weekend and incorporate their
new findings in the further development of the BMW iFE.18 and its
preparations for the coming races. In our series “Three lessons
learned”, we present three of the findings made by BMW i Andretti
Motorsport after each race. This time: the Geox Rome E-Prix (ITA).

 

1. Overtaking is becoming increasingly difficult, even on
wider tracks.

It comes as no surprise that overtaking is difficult on the street
circuits that host the Formula E races. However, we saw in Rome that,
even on a relatively wide track, it is still only possible to pass
other cars by taking a big risk – even with ATTACK MODE and FANBOOST.
That is further confirmation of just how hugely important qualifying
is. A good grid position remains key to a good race result and will
remain the focus on at the coming races in Paris (FRA) and Monaco (MON).

 

2. Energy management was even more important than expected.

The efficiency of the Formula E drive technology – one of the
strengths of the BMW i powertrain – proved to be even more important
in Rome than the BMW i Andretti Motorsport engineers had expected.
Virtually all the cars were down to just one per cent of energy
remaining on the final lap of the race. That led to the leaders
slowing down on the previous lap and monitoring the remaining race
time to avoid having to complete another lap. As such, energy
management was an important factor in any success.

 

3. Heavy strain on the Formula E cars.

In terms of robustness, the circuit in Rome is the biggest challenge
of the season for Formula E cars. As predicted by the BMW i Andretti
Motorsport engineers, the track was very uneven with lots of bumps,
making it very demanding for the chassis and power unit. The cars
actually left the ground over one crest. While Alexander Sims (GBR)
struggled with technical issues in qualifying, the BMW iFE.18 of
António Félix da Costa (POR) withstood the stresses.