Double interview with BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers António Félix da Costa and Alexander Sims.

Munich. With the start of the Europe season in Rome (ITA), the
second half of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship Season 5 gets
underway on 13th April 2019. After the first six races, António
Félix da Costa (POR) leads the driver standings and Alexander Sims
(GBR) has also shown his strong pace in his maiden season. In a
double interview, the BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers talk about
the season so far.

António, Alexander, how would you sum up the season so far
ahead of the first race in Europe?

António Félix da Costa: “With one win, three podiums and first
place in the drivers’ standings, we had a really strong first half of
the season. Since it became clear that BMW i Motorsport would be
entering Formula E as a works team, I worked hard to be ready for
Season 5. Now, seeing BMW i Andretti Motorsport as one of the top
teams, is great validation for me – and great motivation to keep
working just as hard.”

Alexander Sims: “In the races to date, we have consistently
shown great potential. We weren’t always able to get the results, for
a variety of reasons, which we have analysed so that we can do better
in the second half of the season. The BMW iFE.18’s performance gives
us optimism for the coming races.”

What have been the highlights so far, and what disappointments
have you experienced?

Félix da Costa: “My best day of the season was the first one:
pole position and the win on BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s debut in Ad
Diriyah were incredible. I was delighted to be able to give the team
that success. Unfortunately, the outcome of the race in Marrakech was
disappointing, when a perfect day suddenly went completely the other
way eight minutes before the end.”

Sims: “Definitely, the worst moment was the unfortunate end to
the race in Marrakech. I haven’t had a clear best moment yet
personally this season, but there have been many that have shown me
that I can be fast in Formula E. It was fantastic to see António win
the opening race in Ad Diriyah. That gave the whole team a major boost.”

How did you deal with the incident in Marrakech within the
team, and what did you learn from it?

Sims: “The first thing that has to be said is that the incident,
as disappointing as it was on the track, brought us even closer
together as a team. Looking back, many things that went wrong came
together in that moment. We spoke about the incident openly and
honestly afterwards, and have learned our lessons from it.”

Félix da Costa: “Alexander is right. In retrospect, the day made
the team incredibly close. The way we handled the situation proved
that we are a family. I’m really proud of that.”

How do you feel the BMW i drivetrain measures up to the competition?

Félix da Costa: “The BMW i engineers have done a fantastic job.
Our drivetrain is fast and efficient – simply put, we have a really
good package at our disposal; that’s despite it being the first time
that BMW i engineers have developed a drivetrain for racing rather
than production. It presented them with totally new challenges. Hats
off to their achievement.”

Sims: “Our drivetrain really is very efficient. We can tell
because we always do best in races where saving as much energy as
possible makes the difference. That’s extremely important in Formula E.”

Where can you make further improvements?

Sims: “I consistently see that I have the speed to be up there
at the front but Formula E is so complex that as a driver you have to
get the maximum out of every session to ultimately bring home the
results. You also have to adjust your driving style very quickly from
pure performance in qualifying to efficiency in the race. I’m working
on these aspects. It’s really helping to have an experienced man such
as António at my side.”

Félix da Costa: “I see the biggest potential off track. We are
getting to know each other as a team better all the time, and are
working together better all the time too, but of course there is
always room for improvement. I want to help as best I can, because I
am proud of the whole team.”

How closely do you work with your engineers – is it more than
in other race series?

Sims: “The little time that you have available on a race day in
Formula E is the greatest limiting factor which means you have less
opportunity to exchange information with the engineers. We try to
offset this with intensive preparation for race day – including using
the simulator.”

Félix da Costa: “The technology in Formula E is unbelievably
complex. It’s always about finding the perfect compromise between
speed and efficiency which is not all that easy and can’t be mastered
by me as a driver alone. I need the close collaboration with my
engineers for that.”
 
Are you in contact with the BMW i engineers in Munich during
the season?

Félix da Costa: “The communication with the BMW i engineers was
intensive primarily during the testing phase. I thought it was great
to collaborate with people from outside the world of racing. During
the season they work hard in the background to improve our drivetrain
from race to race.”

Sims: “We had the chance to visit the BMW i engineers in Munich.
It was incredibly interesting. They even gave us a first look at
Season 6. Their work is the key to our success.”