Repeated showers made qualifying a major challenge. With track
conditions changing all the time, the pursuit of the best grid
positions was something of a lottery at times. Sims and Félix da Costa
ultimately had to settle for 13thand 20thplace.
The race was neutralised several times after incidents and was
suspended on one occasion allowing the BMW i8 Coupé Safety Car to make
several appearances on track. While Sims dropped back as the result of
a number of incidents, before eventually retiring, Félix da Costa was
able to stay out of all the turmoil and steadily worked his way up
through the field – thanks partly to FANBOOST. In the final laps, his
fightback was rewarded with tenth place and one point towards the
overall standings.
Reactions to the Hong Kong E-Prix:
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal BMW i Andretti Motorsport):
“That is not the result we were looking for in Hong Kong. We arrived
here with high expectations. The circuit should actually have suited
us and António has been extremely competitive here in the past. The
conditions were very difficult and qualifying, when the track was wet
at first, meant we were playing catch-up from therein. Qualifying is
the key to success in Formula E. This weekend showed once again that
it is difficult to get to the front if you start from the middle or
back of the field. Alex got off to a great start and climbed five
places. Unfortunately, he then made a mistake which saw him drop to
the back of the field. He tried to work his way back into the race,
but had to retire with a broken suspension after hitting the wall.
António worked his way through the field, but then got stuck outside
the top ten. We ultimately benefitted from retirements and managed to
pick up a point. Every point helps, but that is definitely not what we
wanted to achieve here.”
António Félix da Costa (#28 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
20thplace, race result: 10thplace, FANBOOST
voting: 2ndplace, points: 47):
“It was clear after qualifying that it was going to be difficult.
Particularly at a circuit where there are hardly any overtaking
opportunities. All the safety car periods meant that nobody needed to
conserve energy and the pace of all the cars was virtually the same.
It was almost impossible to make an overtaking manoeuvre. Having said
that, we did manage to score a point. We must analyse why our pace was
so poor in the wet, especially as it was okay in similar conditions in
Ad Diriyah and at the test in Valencia. We must now concentrate fully
on the next race in Sanya.”
Alexander Sims (#27 BMW iFE.18, qualifying result:
13thplace, race result: DNF, FANBOOST voting:
14thplace, points: 18)
“That was an up and down day. Some sessions were better than others.
The pace was actually okay. In the race, I had a fantastic opening
lap. I was aggressive but considered, which paid off. However, I then
learned another lesson about Formula E: in this series, it is so easy
to make a mistake in these cars, as they are difficult to drive at the
limit. My front wheels locked under braking on lap two and I missed
the corner. My race was over from that point on. I found myself at the
back of the field again. I pushed and tested the limits, then I hit
the wall and that was the end of my race. I will try to take the
positives from this and to finally have a clean weekend. If I can do
that, we will get the results that our work actually deserves.”
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 CO2emissions: 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 CO2emissions: 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
CO2emissions: 49-47 g/km)* in its role as “Medical Car”.