BMW i Andretti Motorsport finishes first Formula E season with superb result – first podium for Sims.

New York. BMW i Andretti Motorsport has finished the ABB FIA
Formula E Championship 2018/19 with another podium success. At the
wheel of the #27 BMW iFE.18, Alexander Sims (GBR) secured second
place in the New York City E-Prix after starting the race from pole
position. After the 13th and final race of the season, Sims stood on
the podium for the first time in his Formula E career. He was able
to defend first place until the 18th lap, before conceding the lead
to eventual winner Robin Frijns (NED, Virgin). António Félix da
Costa (POR) reached ninth place in the second BMW iFE.18.


 

Together with fourth place on Saturday, this result allowed Sims to
take another leap forward in the drivers’ standings and he finished
the season with 57 points, in 13th place. Félix da Costa reached sixth
place in the overall standings with 99 points. The title went to
Techeetah driver Jean-Éric Vergne (FRA). BMW i Andretti Motorsport
secured fifth place in the team championship, with 156 points.
 

The team can look back on a successful debut season in Formula E
after recording one win, two pole positions and a total of five podium
finishes. Félix da Costa began with victory at the season-opener in Ad
Diriyah (KSA). The Portuguese driver followed that with podiums in
Mexico City (MEX), Sanya (CHN) and then on Saturday in New York (USA).
Having already claimed two fourth-place finishes, Sims’ pole position
and second place made the finale on Sunday his most successful Formula
E race day.
 

Reactions to the New York City E-Prix:

 

Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director):

“I am very proud that we have been able to celebrate another
superb result to finish our first Formula E season with BMW i Andretti
Motorsport. Congratulations to Alexander Sims on his first pole
position and his first podium finish in this series. Alex gave a
strong performance and deserved this success. Closing his rookie
season with a podium is excellent. António Félix da Costa was also
able to score some points in ninth place. We have rounded off the
season in a positive way. We gained a lot of valuable experience as a
team over the course of the 13 races. In Ad Diriyah we kicked off the
season in style – claiming victory with the BMW iFE.18 in its very
first race. At the first attempt, we were able to fully exploit the
huge potential and the high efficiency of our Racing eDrive01
drivetrain. The same went for the subsequent Marrakesh E-Prix, where
we had the great chance to score our maiden one-two. We all remember
what happened there. In some of the following races we weren’t able to
make the most of our potential for various reasons. On the one hand we
made mistakes, on the other hand plenty of red-flagged races meant we
couldn’t translate the fantastic efficiency of our drivetrain into top
results. Considering the experience gained this season, I am confident
we will be able to raise our game in this respect for Season 6 –
despite the growing level of competition in this series. The
successful weekend in New York simply motivates the team even more as
they prepare for the new season. We know we have a great drivetrain
and the right team to succeed in Formula E. Congratulations to DS
Techeetah and Jean-Éric Vergne on winning the title. He is a fully
deserved champion.”
 

Roger Griffiths (BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team Principal):

“We started the season strongly – and we ended it strongly too.
Pole position and finishing second for his first podium were a great
result for Alexander. He has been working towards that all year.
Starting from 14th place made it difficult for António but he drove a
clever race and was able to benefit from incidents ahead of him at the
end. In particular, the consistency of our performances this weekend
gives us reasons to be optimistic. Season 6 starts for us on Monday.”
 

Alexander Sims (#27 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result: 1st place,
race result: 2nd place, FANBOOST voting: 13th place, points: 57):


“It feels fantastic to be on the podium as I had just missed out
a few times in the past. Of course, I would have liked to have won
from pole position. Nonetheless, I am very pleased with the overall
result. Finishing fourth and second at the finale is a great effort. I
have learned so much this season and there were plenty of ups and
downs. Bearing that in mind, I am very happy that we are heading for
the summer break after a race like this.”


 
António Félix da Costa (#28 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
14th place, race result: 9th place, FANBOOST voting: 5th place,
points: 99):


“It really wasn’t easy today to make up ground from the middle
of the pack. We managed to reach ninth place though. Just like
yesterday, both drivers scored some points for the team. It’s a shame
that we don’t have a third race as we did very well here in New York.
I have finished the season in sixth place in the drivers’ standings.
We were in the leading group for the whole season and winning the
first race remains the highlight of course. I think we have had a good
season overall.”
 

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”.