Marrakesh. Tom Blomqvist (GBR) picked up his first points in
the ABB FIA Formula E Championship on his debut race in Morocco. The
Brit finished in eighth place at the Marrakesh E-Prix. However, his
MSAD Andretti team-mate António Félix da Costa (POR) had a
difficult day. After an accident in qualifying, he delivered a
strong catch-up performance which went unrewarded. Félix da Costa
crossed the finish line in 14th place. The event at the “
Circuit Automobile International Moulay El Hassan” marked the
third round of the 2017/18 Formula E season.
While qualifying took place in foggy and cool temperatures, it
was sunny and warmer with temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius during
the race.
The qualifying
Blomqvist completed his first Formula E qualifying session in group
1. He came into slight contact with the wall, but was able to continue
his fast lap and qualified in 12th on the grid with a time
of 1:20.870 minutes. Félix da Costa on the other hand was unlucky: He
was on the way to a good lap time when he locked the brakes as he
braked for turn 7 and he slid into the tyre wall. Subsequently, the
man from Portugal had to settle with 19th, the penultimate
spot on the grid.
The race
Formula E rookie Blomqvist made up two positions in the opening phase
of the race and had moved into the top 10 after two laps. At the same
time, Félix da Costa set off on his race to catch up from the back of
the grid, which saw him gain position after position. On lap 14 the
team-mates were embroiled in a battle, and Félix da Costa overtook
Blomqvist. After 17 laps, the man from Portugal entered the pit in
tenth place and yet again fell victim to misfortune; just as he was
changing car, race control announced a “full-course-yellow” phase.
This saw Félix da Costa lose time, and he was back in 14th
place after his pit stop. Blomqvist entered the garage a lap later and
returned to the field in tenth place. He moved up a position and
crossed the finish line in ninth place. After a driver in front of him
received a retroactive penalty, Blomqvist moved up into eighth place
in the final rankings. Félix da Costa was unable to move up the field
again and remained in 14th place. The win went to Felix
Rosenqvist (SWE).
The reactions
Tom Blomqvist, MSAD Andretti Formula E: “The
race was a bit of an eye-opener. I was also a bit lucky to finish in
eighth position in the end. My focus was on getting some laps under my
belt because I literally had no idea what to expect. I had tested and
worked in the simulator, but it is very different in the race
environment. There is definitely some work that needs to be done on my
side to try and figure out how to better manage the race. It is so
different from what I have done in the past, and every time I get in
the car it will get better and I will learn more and more. I will work
on my energy management, or the communication with the engineers.
There are so many things that you really need to be on top of here in
Formula E. I have got some way to go but we can be very happy with
eighth place in my first race.”
António Félix da Costa, MSAD Andretti Formula E:
“It was one of those days that you call character building but we need
to stay strong and I have big faith in my team. My mechanics did a
great job and got the car repaired after my crash in qualifying which
I apologize for; it was my mistake. The first stint of the race looked
really good, we were fast and we got a lot of positions back.
Unfortunately, when we decided to change cars the ‘Full Course Yellow’
came right in that moment. Basically, we boxed under green and the
others after me came to the pits under FCY which made us lose a lot of
time. The race was practically over from there. In the second stint I
was driving on my own all of the time so there was not much I could
do. So today nothing went our way but we keep smiling and I know that
we have the potential to be in the points in every race so this is
what we need to aim for.”
The BMW i Fleet
BMW i is once again “Official Vehicle Partner” of the ABB FIA Formula
E Championship in Season 4. The BMW i8 (combined fuel consumption: 2.1
l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 49 g/km)* continues to take to the
track as a powerful and efficient Safety Car. The same goes for the
new BMW i3s (combined energy consumption: 14.3 kWh; combined CO2
emissions: 0 g/km)* as “Medical Car” and “Race Control Car”, and the
BMW X5 xDrive40e (combined fuel consumption: 3.4 – 3.3 l/100 km;
combined CO2 emissions: 78 – 77 g/km)* in its role as “Rescue Car” and
“Extrication Car”.