Two weeks after the round in the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong (CHN), the ABB FIA Formula E Championship celebrates its return to mainland China with the Sanya E-Prix (CHN). BMW i Andretti Motorsport is eager to return to the strength demonstrated in the opening races of the season at the new Sanya circuit and finish in the points with both BMW iFE.18s.
Quotes ahead of the Sanya E-Prix:
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Formula E’s return to China is fantastic for the race series and for BMW i as China is an incredibly important market for electromobility. BMW i and Formula E’s shared journey got underway with the very first race in Beijing back in 2014, meaning we have come full circle with our return as the BMW i Andretti Motorsport works team. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make the best of our opportunities at the last event in Hong Kong. We’ve analysed the reasons and drawn our conclusions. In Sanya we hope to make better use of our BMW i drivetrain’s strengths once again and build on the top performances that have already brought us some brilliant results this season. Our goal is still to bring home as many points as possible with the BMW iFE.18.”
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal BMW i Andretti Motorsport):
“After the disappointment of the race in Hong Kong, the team is looking forward to moving on to Sanya. We analysed in detail why we weren’t as competitive as usual in Hong Kong and we are confident that we will have a strong package again for the future. We don’t know all that much about the area in which we will be driving in China, but we are doing tests in the simulator, so we’ll be well prepared. We can’t wait to get racing again and to pick up some well-needed points for the overall standings.”
Alexander Sims (#27 BMW iFE.18):
“I am really looking forward to our debut in Sanya. The track appears to be relatively fast and extensive at first glance, with long straights and hard braking zones. After we were unfortunately unable to make use of our package’s strengths in Hong Kong, I hope that we will return to our usual form in Sanya.”
António Félix da Costa (#28 BMW iFE.18):
“We will all be experiencing a new track in Sanya, so everyone is starting from scratch. I’ve already completed a few laps of the track layout in the simulator – it seems like it will be fun. I have the impression that energy efficiency will play a big role again there, as it did in Marrakech, where we did really well. Hopefully it will be similar in China.”
The FANBOOST vote.
FANBOOST gives Formula E fans the opportunity to vote for their favourite driver and award them an extra boost of power during the race. The five drivers with the most FANBOOST votes are awarded a significant burst of power, which they can deploy in a five-second window during the second half of the race. Fans can vote for their favourite driver in the six days prior to, and leading up to 15 minutes into, each race. Each fan can vote once per day. There are three ways to vote: Online at https://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/, via the official Formula E App or on Twitter using the hashtag #FANBOOST plus the drivers first and last name as a one-word hashtag.
Hashtags of the BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers:
#AlexanderSims
#AntonioFelixdaCosta
