Points in Paris for BMW i and MS Amlin Andretti.

Munich. In an eventful Paris ePrix, Robin Frijns (NLD) scored
sixth place, scoring more points for MS Amlin Andretti in the FIA
Formula E Championship. António Félix da Costa (POR) was forced to
retire after a crash with another competitor.

 

The Qualifying

Qualifying was a mixed session for MS Amlin Andretti. With a strong
performance, Robin Frijns put his ATEC-002 in eighth position – his
time of 1:02.654 was just 0.043 seconds shy of the Super Pole session.
A penalty for another competitor meant the Dutchman would start the
race in seventh place. For António Félix da Costa, it was a
disappointing session, as he could manage only 17th, with 1:03.268.

 

The Race

From the start, Frijns was able to hold his position and race solidly
in the opening stint. Félix da Costa, meanwhile, found it difficult to
make up places, but did pass Lucas di Grassi (BRA) for 16th
position but while fighting over the place, the two made contact, with
the car forced into the inside wall. It was heavily damaged, and Félix
da Costa had to retire from the race. The incident caused a full
course yellow, at which point Frijns pitted and retained his seventh
position. With a great pass he improved by one place and after an
accident for second-placed Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA) – which also saw the
Qualcomm Safety Car BMW i8 deployed – the Dutchman moved into fifth
position. Unfortunately, Frijns was judged to have driven too fast
under the earlier full course yellow period, earning him a five-second
penalty which dropped him back to sixth. The race ended under another
safety car. The win went to Sébastien Buemi (SUI) for Renault e.dams.

 

The Reactions

 

Robin Frijns, MS Amlin Andretti: “To finish sixth,
after the troubles we’ve had in recent races, is a great result for
the team and for myself. It feels fantastic. But also luck was on our
side, definitely! When the safety car came out shortly before the
finish, I could have lost the points thanks to the penalty, but then a
car slowed behind me and slowed everyone down, which saved us. That
was very fortunate. The penalty was my mistake, I got caught up
because the car in front was speeding and I followed.”

 

António Félix da Costa, MS Amlin Andretti: “It’s been
a very frustrating weekend. From my point of view, the incident was
pretty simple. Di Grassi went around the outside of me, and started to
turn in really early – I was put into the inside wall before the
corner even arrived, I couldn’t do anything. I have no problem with a
driver trying to make a move on the outside, but at least they have to
leave some room to get to the apex. It was good for the team to get
some points, and that means we’ve got some great data to look at
together. That is a positive for us.”

 

The BMW i Vehicle Fleet

For Season 3, BMW i remains 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”.

 

The Outlook

The next visit on the calendar for the FIA Formula E racers is the
Berlin ePrix. The German event, and home round for BMW I, will be the
first double-header of the season, held on 10th and
11th June at the historic Tempelhof Airport venue.