Valencia. An intense week draws to a successful close. As on
Tuesday and Wednesday, the fastest time on the third, and final, day
of testing in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship went to a BMW i
Andretti Motorsport driver. Alexander Sims (GBR), at the wheel of
the #27 BMW iFE.18, was the fastest of all drivers at Valencia (ESP)
on Friday, setting a time of 1:17.402 minutes. His team-mate António
Félix da Costa (POR) remained the fastest driver of the test after
setting a time of 1:16.977 on Wednesday. Over the course of the
three test days at “Circuit Ricardo Tormo”, the BMW i Andretti
Motorsport duo completed a total of 435 laps.
Reactions to the test in Valencia.
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“The Formula E test at Valencia was a very important opportunity for
all the teams to take stock as they prepare for the start of the
season in mid-December – and I am very happy with the way we presented
ourselves with the BMW iFE.18 and the BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team.
Good speed, a high degree of reliability and efficient processes in
the team gives us a very good basis on which to build. The new BMW i
drivetrain, ReD01, ran like clockwork on all three test days. Our two
drivers, Alexander Sims and António Félix da Costa, made a good
impression. We know that Spain did not necessarily reveal the full
balance of power within the field for Season Five, however in motor
racing it is always nice to head to the season-opener on the back of
good results at the dress rehearsal.”
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal, BMW i Andretti Motorsport):
“Throughout the days here, we worked
through a pre-conceived test programme, we weren’t chasing lap times,
but we found we were able to produce a lap time when it was necessary.
The cars have behaved remarkably well, with the exception of one minor
off-track incident we’ve had virtually no issues at all. Both drivers
have really worked well together, they have progressively improved
their performance and understanding of the new car. In particular,
Alexander has come to the team as a relative rookie and has really
demonstrated his talent level. There’s still a lot of work to do to
prepare for Riyadh. We have to go back and look at all the data,
understand what we did and then get ready to go for race one.
Hopefully we can continue the success we’ve had here in Valencia in
the championship season.”
Alexander Sims (BMW i Andretti Motorsport, #27 BMW iFE.18):
“All in all it was a really positive pre-season test at Valencia for
BMW i Andretti Motorsport. I was a bit hesitant of how to judge things
after the first session on Tuesday but we have gone through all the
different conditions, particularly with the rain today and a fairly
green track this afternoon. Obviously, the track itself is still
unrepresentative but nevertheless we have been competitive in all conditions.”
António Félix da Costa (BMW i Andretti Motorsport, #28 BMW iFE.18):
“I think generally we are very happy. Although this track is not at
all representative of the tracks we will see in the Formula E season,
it is still positive to be competitive. I think it’s a good morale
boost for everyone at BMW i Andretti Motorsport. There is a lot of
work to be done before the first race. I’m going home very excited and
looking forward to the first event.”