RACE RECAP: MEXICO CITY E-PRIX

A clever race strategy and an equally efficient performance from the BMW i drivetrain helped Alexander Sims (GBR) to move up 13 places during the Mexico City E-Prix (MEX) and finish the fourth race of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship season in fifth position. He also claimed an extra point for the fastest lap of the race. Sims is now in second place in the drivers’ championship with 46 points, just one behind new leader Mitch Evans (NZL, Jaguar), who won the race in Mexico. BMW i Andretti Motorsport remains at the top of the team standings, with 71 points.
 
No-one had expected such a strong result after the qualifying session ended. Sims and Maximilian Günther (GER) struggled to find the perfect set-up and had to be content with starting from 18th and 16th positions on the grid. Sims drove a clever race right from the start, managing his energy reserves very well as he progressed gradually through the field. Fifth place and the fastest lap of the race were his just reward for a faultless drive and an excellent strategy. Günther had more problems as he battled to assert himself in the midfield and finished the race in eleventh place.
 
Reactions to the Mexico City E-Prix:
 
Jens Marquardt (BMW Group Motorsport Director):
“Congratulations to Alexander Sims and the entire BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team on this fantastic recovery performance to finish fifth after starting 18th on the grid! After the disappointment of qualifying, we made the right decisions for the race. We opted for a cautious approach with the energy in the BMW i drivetrain and, unlike our rivals, we did not make any mistakes. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan for Maximilian Günther this time and he got caught up in some midfield battles. The fact that Alexander drove the fastest lap of the race shows just how fast the BMW iFE.20 can go. We have held on to first place in the team standings and Alexander is second in the drivers’ championship. That all means that we are feeling good as we leave Mexico City. Many thanks to the Mexican fans and the organisers for this unbelievable atmosphere in the stadium. Just seeing it is enough to give you goose bumps.”
 
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal BMW i Andretti Motorsport, team standings: 1st place):
“After the poor qualifying result, we can be more than pleased with the fifth place for Alexander Sims. He gave an outstanding performance after starting the race so far back. Thanks to him, we have extended our lead in the team standings and we are very close to first place in the drivers’ championship. That is a very positive way to finish the weekend. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for Maximilian Günther all day. Now he has to write the weekend off and look ahead.”
 
Alexander Sims (#27 BMW iFE.20, starting position: 18th place, race result: 5th place, points: 46, driver standings: 2nd place):
“After this qualifying session, the race itself was a major challenge for us. However, we were able to save much more energy than our rivals in the first section of the race, which we were able to use later for the chase. I had a really strong car during the race. Overall, it is fantastic to finish a race day that had started in such a disappointing way with such a good result.”
 
Maximilian Günther (#28 BMW iFE.20, starting position: 16th place, race result: 11th place, points: 25, driver standings: 8th place):
“That was not our day. Firstly, we will have to take a look at what went wrong. For whatever reason, we just did not have the speed required in qualifying. Things did not improve for me in the race – in contrast to Alexander, who really produced a great catch-up performance. At the moment, I can only speculate as to the root cause, but there is no point doing that. We will analyse everything in detail and see what we can do better.”
 
The BMW i Safety Cars.
BMW i is “Official Vehicle Partner” of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Season 6. Spearheading the fleet are 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 has 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 includes the BMW i3s (combined fuel consumption: 0.0 l/100 km; combined energy consumption: 14.6-14.0 kWh; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)* as “Race Director Car”, the BMW 530e (combined fuel consumption: 1.8-1.6 l/100 km; combined energy consumption: 14.5-13.8 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 40-36 g/km)* in its role as “Medical Car” and the BMW X5 e45 (combined fuel consumption: 2.0-1.7 l/100 km; combined energy consumption: 23.5-21.3 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 46-38 g/km)* as “Rescue Car”.