Rome. António Félix da Costa (POR) finished ninth to pick up
more points for BMW i Andretti Motorsport in an eventful seventh
race of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Alexander Sims
(GBR) was unlucky and ended the Geox Rome E-Prix in 17th place.
As the leader in the Drivers’ Championship, Félix da Costa went out
in the first group in qualifying. Although he was the fastest in that
group, he ultimately had to settle for 13th place. The
first group once again had to contend with the toughest track
conditions, which prevented any faster lap times. Grid penalties
awarded to two competitors saw Félix da Costa promoted to eleventh
place on the grid. The E-Prix was suspended as early as lap two,
however, following a crash. It was 45 minutes before the cars were
able to return to the track behind the BMW i8 Coupé Safety Car.
Stuck in the pack, Félix da Costa fought hard for every position
throughout the race, and eventually came home in a hard-earned ninth
place. The Portuguese driver is now second in the Drivers’
Championship, while BMW i Andretti Motorsport lies fifth in the Team standings.
Sims was struck by misfortune as early as qualifying. A technical
issue brought him to a halt on his flying lap, meaning he had to start
the race from the back of the field. He then damaged the front of his
BMW iFE.18 on the slippery track on lap one. After the restart, he was
handed a 10-second stop-and-go penalty by race control. Sims
eventually crossed the finish line in 17th place. Victory
went to Mitch Evans (AUS, Jaguar Racing).
Reactions to the Rome E-Prix:
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Formula E was as unpredictable as ever in the first European race of
the season. The race was suspended again and fans were treated to a
feast of action out on the track. António came home ninth to pick up
points again. That was all he could hope for today, but these points
could prove very valuable come the end of the season. Alexander found
himself stuck towards the back of the field after technical
difficulties in qualifying forced him to start from last place on the
grid. He eventually finished 17th. We will now focus on preparing for
Paris. Congratulations to Jaguar on their first Formula E victory.”
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal BMW i Andretti Motorsport):
“The race was a good lesson in damage limitation for us. Given our
starting positions, it was all about keeping António among the
front-runners in the Drivers’ Championship. We have managed that. He
is second, just one point behind the leader, and had a few battles in
the midfield in today’s race. The focus through all this was always on
bringing the car home and scoring valuable points. Alexander could not
do much from last place on the grid, especially when he then received
the penalty. Despite that, he used the race to learn as much as
possible, looking ahead to the rest of the season.”
António Félix da Costa (#28 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
13th place, race result: 9th place, FANBOOST
voting: 2nd place, points: 64):
“Firstly, it is important to have scored some points again and to
stay in touch at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. Despite that, I
am a little frustrated, as our car was far faster today than we were
able to show in the race. Unfortunately, the qualifying group put paid
to that. It is extremely difficult to climb out of the pack and to the
front of the field in Formula E.”
Alexander Sims (#27 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
22nd place, race result: 17th place, FANBOOST
voting: 16th place, points: 18)
“That was a really tough day for me. I actually adapted to the track
very well in my practice sessions and was going really well, however,
the rest of the day was basically ruined after the technical issue in
qualifying. Starting from last place on the grid, all you can really
do is to complete a lot of laps and learn as much as possible. I have
seen once again that an incredible amount can happen in Formula E,
which is impossible to predict. Despite all that, I am confident that
I have good pace. We just have to have one problem-free race. I will
be striving for that again in Paris.”
The BMW i Fleet
BMW i is “Official Vehicle Partner” of the ABB FIA Formula E
Championship in Season 5. Spearheading the BMW i fleet is the BMW i8
Coupé Safety Car, modified with BMW M components (combined fuel
consumption: 1.8 l/100 km; combined energy consumption 14.0 kWh/100
km; combined CO2 emissions: 42 g/km)*. As well as the BMW
i8 Coupé, the BMW i fleet also includes 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 iPerformance (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”.