Munich. After Maximilian Günther’s (GER) victory in New York
City (USA), BMW i Andretti Motorsport now heads to the team’s next
home event, the London E-Prix (GBR). The team’s headquarters in
Banbury (GBR) is less than 150 kilometres from the ‘ExCel Circuit’.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to London for the
first time since 2016 with races 12 and 13 of the season on Saturday
and Sunday. One of the features of the new circuit is that it is
partly outside and partly in the halls of the ExCel London
exhibition centre. Günther and Jake Dennis (GBR), for whom the
London E-Prix (GBR) is also a home outing, lie 14th and
15th in the Drivers’ Championship – each with 54 points –
ahead of the penultimate race weekend of the season. However, they
trail the championship leader by just 27 points. BMW i Andretti
Motorsport is currently sixth in the Team competition with 108
points. In our preview, we present the most important facts and key
factors of the London E-Prix.
You can find detailed information in our media guide: https://b.mw/Formula_E_Media_Guide.
It provides detailed information on the technology behind the BMW i
drivetrain and the BMW iFE.21, background stories on the technology
transfer between motor racing and production development, the BMW i
Andretti Motorsport Team and the drivers as well as the BMW Group
safety car fleet. It is updated with facts and figures on the
respective event after each race weekend.
TRACK FACTS LONDON.
Circuit length
2.252 km. Clockwise.
Corners
22 – 13 right, 9 left.
Track surface
Very bumpy, even a possibility of jumping.
Grip level
Low. Should it rain, the switch
from the wet track outside to a dry track inside would be unusual.
Layout
Section between T20 and T8 is
covered. Ramps between T2 and T3, and T21 and T22. Very
narrow and slow circuit with hairpins. T11 is taken at just
30 km/h. Very few overtaking opportunities. No run-off
zones, so no room for driver error.
Brakes
As energy management will barely
play a role, despite the reduction of the amount of energy
available, brakes will be put under a lot of strain.
Top speed
Approx. 195 km/h ahead of T1.
Attack Zone
On the outside of T16. Possible
loss of position. To be avoided at all costs, as overtaking
is very difficult, even in Attack Mode.
Pit lane
Entry after T22, exit on the
outside of T2.
Key factors
Good start position, good
traction and rotation of car, caution against crashing on
narrow circuit.
Quotes ahead of the London E-Prix:
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal BMW i Andretti Motorsport):
“Fresh from the success in the New York City race, our team heads to
the second of its ‘home race events’. It is fantastic to be back in
London after such a long absence. A new and very unique venue for all.
It’s the first time that the track will feature an indoor section as
well as the conventional outdoor surfaces. At this stage, we know
little of the track surface and how this will evolve with cars running
on it. Fortunately, we have a practice session on the Friday afternoon
which will give us overnight to review and consider how we might adapt
to the new circuit. For the first time as well, the FIA has decided to
reduce the amount of available energy to us for the race by just under
ten percent. The nature of the track with the full amount of energy
would likely have led to flat out racing but the reduced amount will
bring back an element of energy saving. Both drivers now have a win a
piece and I am sure both will be vying for more success. There is a
lot to play for in both the team’s and driver’s championships.”
Jake Dennis (#27 BMW iFE.21):
“I am extremely excited about my home race in London. Nobody knows
the circuit, which suits me as a rookie. I hope we come out of the
blocks quickly in the first practice session and qualify well. It
looks as though it is going to be difficult to overtake, which makes
it all the more important to secure a good grid position.”
Maximilian Günther (#28 BMW iFE.21):
“London is an outstanding place to go racing. It’s a really cool
element to be racing indoor and outdoor. The track looks very
technical and I definitely can’t wait to drive my first proper laps
there. We are heading into the last four races of the season and
everything is possible. So as always, we just focus on a good
performance from our side.”
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 receive an extra
100 kJ of power, which they can make use of during a brief time frame
in the second half of the race. Fans can vote for their favourite
driver in the four days prior to, and leading up to 15 minutes into,
each race. Each fan can vote once per day. There are two ways to vote:
Online at https://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/
or via the official Formula E App.
The BMW Group Safety Cars.
The BMW Group has been represented in the ABB FIA Formula E
World Championship as ‘Official Vehicle Partner’ since the very
beginning and will continue to provide the fleet of safety cars for
season 7 of the fully-electric racing series. Alongside the BMW i8
Roadster Safety Car (fuel consumption (combined): 2.0 l /100 km;
energy use (combined): 14.5 kWh /100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 46
g/km)*, which has been modified specially for racing use, the MINI
Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW will be appearing as a new safety
car from the Rome E-Prix onwards. The development of the car based on
the new MINI Cooper SE represents a hitherto unique collaboration
between MINI Design, BMW Motorsport, the FIA and Formula E. The fleet
also includes the BMW i3s (Power consumption in kWh/100: 14.6-14.0
(NEDC); 16.6-16.3 (WLTP), electric range in km: 278-283 (WLTP))* as
‘Race Director Car’ and the BMW iX3 (Power consumption in kWh/100:
17.8-17.5 (NEDC); 19.0-18.6 (WLTP), electric range in km: 450-458
(WLTP))* in its roles as ‘Medical Car’ and ‘Rescue Car’.