There are plenty of new challenges and changes ahead of Season 5 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The switch to the new Gen2 car and the relevance of modern electric cars has brought in new manufactures.
Formula E- New Kids on the Block
A New Team to Debut
The new kids on the block, BMW, will make their debut as a full manufacturer program with partners Andretti Motorsport. They unveiled their eye-catching Season 5 entry a few days ago, iFE.18. The drivetrain is the most innovative thing about this car, and it will remain hidden. It is great to see the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team will be taking this championship seriously. They even brought in the same engineers that developed the BMW i3. The engineers from the BMW i team developed the drivetrain for the BMW Motorsport Team.
https://twitter.com/bmwblog/status/1040643637779083264
BMW Motorsport Partnership
Accordingly, the two sides of BMW will work in tandem for the Formula E project. Klaus Frohlich, a member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development and Motorsport, explained this relevance with a statement that said: “For BMW, it is also the perfect test lab for product development. The technology transfer between motorsport and series production will be intense. Our experience from series production benefits the drivetrain of the race car. At the same time, insights from Formula E flow directly into the development of future series production drivetrains.”
Driver Lineup
They didn’t just unveil the car, they also revealed their driver lineup ahead of the new season. Formula E will retain the services of the talented Formula E veteran Antonio Felix da Costa. The Portuguese driver helped the development of these cars from the beginning of Season 1. He will bring an experienced opinion on car setup. Da Costa has raced for BMW as a works driver in the past. Competing from 2014-2016 in the DTM series and winning a race for them.
BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver @afelixdacosta says… #RacingBeyond @BMWi @FIAFormulaE @FollowAndretti pic.twitter.com/DpMGNA3dcV
— BMW M Motorsport (@BMWMotorsport) September 19, 2018
Da Costa will be partnered by the British driver Alexander Sims. Just like his teammate, demonstrated his exceptional versatility as a BMW works driver for many years. He should do well despite his lack of experience in electric race cars. Sims, however, isn’t a complete stranger to electric cars, however, he was one of the first people to drive the first Gen1 Formula E cars before the championship started. “Formula E has quickly become the place for top manufacturers and top drivers to meet. I am honored to be entrusted with taking on this adventure in collaboration with BMW i Motorsport,” said Sims.
High Hopes
BMW i Andretti Motorsport team has a great team lineup ahead of the new season. Hopefully, it should be an exciting one with the new and improved drivetrain concepts from the new and existing teams. Everyone at BMW will hope to make an impact in their first season as a full manufacturer.
MAIN PHOTO:
Embed from Getty Images
