No points for Félix da Costa and Frijns at the Marrakesh ePrix.

Munich (DE), 12th November 2016. The MS Amlin Andretti team saw
plenty of promise, but was rewarded with no points at the Marrakesh
ePrix in Morocco, the second round of the 2016/2017 season in the FIA
Formula E Championship. Robin Frijns (NL) was 11th, while BMW works
driver António Félix da Costa (PT) ended his race early after system
issues with the first of his two ATEC-002 chassis.

 

The Qualifying

The two MS Amlin Andretti cars started side-by-side on the fifth row
on the grid. Frijns, running in the fourth qualifying group, recorded
a time of 1:21.912 mins for  ninth position, while Félix da Costa,
from the first group, managed 1:22.073 mins for tenth.

 

The Race

The results at the Marrakesh ePrix, the first FIA Formula E
Championship event in Africa, unfortunately did not live up to the
team’s hopes. At the start, both drivers were running together, before
Félix da Costa passed his teammate for ninth place. The Portuguese
driver was managing energy and running well, challenging for the top
six, when he stopped on track. Despite being able to restart after a
delay, the team was forced to switch cars on lap 12 of 33, far too
early to realistically make the finish – the Marrakesh ePrix was the
longest in Formula E’s history. Félix da Costa then aimed to earn the
single point available for fastest lap, but was pipped to the accolade
by another competitor just before the finish.

 

Frijns’ race fell just short of points-paying positions. After
falling behind his teammate, he was then passed by Lucas di Grassi
(BR) and Nick Heidfeld (DE) on lap 5, leaving him 12th. After the pit
stop on lap 18, he rejoined in the same position. He then moved up to
11th, where he remained until the finish. Victory went to Sébastien
Buemi (CH).

 

The Reactions

 

António Félix da Costa, MS Amlin Andretti: “We had a
good start to the race and gained a position straightaway. I was
feeling good in the car and we had very good energy management; we
were running in the top 10 and looking good to get a few more places.
Then we had a technical issue with the car and we stopped on track.
That was the end of the race for us, really. We came in and I jumped
into the other car with the goal of going for the Fastest Lap, which
we held until a lap or two from the end. It’s frustrating because it
has been a month of hard work for the MS Amlin Andretti team.”

 

Robin Frijns, MS Amlin Andretti: “The start of the
race was okay. On the first lap, I out-braked myself and António
overtook me. I came to a point when I was a bit quicker than Heidfeld
and he seemed to be struggling. I went for a gap and he defended, I
braked and locked the two fronts in the corner causing me to spin. It
was unlucky and unfortunate, but it was one of those times when you
try something and, if it works you’re a hero, and if it doesn’t you’re
on the outside. It’s a bit of a shame we didn’t score any points
today, at maximum we could have been P8. Hopefully the next race will
be a better one.”

 

The BMW i Vehicle Fleet

For Season 3, BMW i remains the “Official Vehicle Partner” for the
FIA Formula E Championship. The BMW i8 (fuel consumption combined: 2.1
l/100 km / 134.5 mpg imp; CO2 emissions combined: 49 g/km) will
continue as the high-performance, efficient Safety Car in Formula E.
The same goes for the BMW i3 (energy consumption combined: 12.9 kWh;
CO2 emissions combined: 0 g/km), which is the “Medical Car” and “Race
Director Car” and for the BMW X5 xDrive40e (fuel consumption combined:
3.4–3.3 l/100 km / 83.1–85.6 mpg imp; CO2 emissions combined: 78–77
g/km; figures based on the EU test cycle, may vary depending on the
tyre format specified), which functions as the “Rescue Car” or
“Extrication Car”.

 

The Outlook

The third race of the FIA Formula E Championship is scheduled for
18th February 2017; the Buenos Aires ePrix, in Argentina’s vibrant
capital city.