Munich (DE), 8th November 2016. The 2016/17 FIA Formula E
Championship season makes the second stop of its world tour in
Marrakesh (MA) on 12th November. BMW works driver António Félix da
Costa (PT) will drive one MS Amlin Andretti ATEC-002 in the Marrakesh
ePrix, while Robin Frijns (NL) will be at the wheel of the other. The
race weekend marks Formula E’s first visit to Africa. The Moroccan
event is also perfectly timed to coincide with the United Nations
climate change conference COP22 – the Marrakesh ePrix is the official
opening sporting event of the summit.
The Challenge
The season’s opening round in Hong Kong (CN) heralded a strong start
to BMW’s electric racing partnership with MS Amlin Andretti, and the
Moroccan ePrix represents a good opportunity for further development
in performance. Félix da Costa and Frijns were placed fifth and sixth
respectively in Asia, but the Marrakesh circuit presents a different
character to Hong Kong. The race in the ‘Red City’ takes place on the
calendar’s longest circuit – 2.97 km – and one of its fastest. It is
also the first time Formula E has raced on a configuration previously
used by another series, as the Moroccan round of the FIA World Touring
Car Championship (WTCC) raced on a near-identical layout in 2016.
Entering the second race of the season, the FIA Formula E’s third
championship has already proven to be both tight and dramatic, with an
outstanding and tactical race in Hong Kong. MS Amlin Andretti and its
drivers will be aiming to once again use wise strategy calls and
strong race craft to maximise their points potential on Formula E’s
maiden African excursion.
The Expectations
António Félix da Costa, MS Amlin Andretti: “It’s a
new country for myself, as well as for Formula E, and these new
horizons are part of what is so exciting about this championship. The
circuit looks quite interesting, so it could be a fascinating race.
With a lot of fast sections, there’s going to be some fairly severe
energy management, and that’s going to be the biggest factor in the
minds of drivers and engineers here. Whoever gets it right can expect
to reap the rewards. It looks like there will be plenty of overtaking
opportunities too, so we can look forward to good racing. It’s really
tough to say where we’ll be in terms of our performance – this track
might not suit us as well as Hong Kong did, but we’ll aim, like
always, for first place, and see where we shake out.”
Robin Frijns, MS Amlin Andretti: “The Marrakesh
circuit is the longest race on the calendar and it’s going to be a
tough one for everyone with a lot of energy management. Looking back
from Hong Kong I think we had a pretty good weekend, we’re (tied for)
second in the team championship, so we started the season well. Let’s
wait and see how this weekend goes – of course we are looking to do
the same job as we did in Hong Kong. As I said before it’s going to be
tough, but it’s going to be tough for everyone.”
The City
Marrakesh is an ancient city, with roots as far back as the 11th
century, but it is nonetheless a forward-thinking and vibrant place.
The hosting of the UN climate summit COP22 is a strong signal of its
intent. The city has also hosted several touring car events in recent
years, and has become Africa’s regular FIA World Championship
destination – the 2009 FIA WTCC race was the first major motorsport
event in the country since the 1958 Grand Prix of Casablanca. Visitors
to the event can expect a startling cultural mix of historic
architecture and character juxtaposed with the futuristic all-electric
concept of Formula E. This is the championship’s first visit to
Africa, its fifth continent, having previously visited Asia, Europe,
North America and South America.
The Circuit
The Moroccan event, with its backdrop provided by historic buildings
and the magnificent Atlas Mountains, shares its layout with that used
by the FIA WTCC this year. The semi-permanent track was designed by
Hermann Tilke (DE), and is the first of its kind ever used by FIA
Formula E. Faster in character than many of the tracks on the
calendar, it has three fast straights and one long, fast right handed
bend just after the tight first turn. It is also the series’ longest
circuit, at 2.97 km.
The Team
MS Amlin Andretti will race the ATEC-002 in Season 3, with Félix da
Costa and Frijns in its two entries – Frijns in number 27 and Felix da
Costa in number 28. BMW will provide expertise and support to the
American team as it runs its own powertrain for the first time, having
run the standard Formula E technology in the first two seasons.
Fans can vote to give their favourite driver a ‘FanBoost’ – an extra
energy allocation, available in the second half of the race – online.
The three drivers with the most votes receive an extra 100KJ of
energy, which can boost power by up to 30KW. There are two methods:
voting on fanboost.fiaformulae.com, or by using the hashtag #FanBoost,
plus #AntonioFelixdaCosta or #RobinFrijns, on Twitter or Instagram.
The BMW i Vehicle Fleet
For Season 3, BMW i again is 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”.