PressClub Global · Article.
MS Amlin Andretti starts the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship season with fifth and sixth places.
Sun Oct 09 12:40:22 CEST 2016 Press Release
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The MS Amlin Andretti team got off to a successful start in the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship season at the Hong Kong ePrix on the narrow streets of the Chinese harbour city. BMW works driver António Félix da Costa (PT) finished in fifth place in the ATEC-002 number 28 car. His team-mate Robin Frijns (NL) staged a sensational catch-up race from the back of the field.
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Author.
Ingo Lehbrink
BMW Group
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Munich (DE), 9th October 2016. The MS Amlin Andretti team got
off to a successful start in the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship
season at the Hong Kong ePrix on the narrow streets of the Chinese
harbour city. BMW works driver António Félix da Costa (PT) finished
in fifth place in the ATEC-002 number 28 car. His team-mate Robin
Frijns (NL) staged a sensational catch-up race from the back of the
field, and brought the number 27 car home in sixth place after 45
laps. The Hong Kong ePrix was the first race after the partnership
between BMW and Andretti Formula E was announced.
The Qualifying
Félix da Costa contested qualifying in the second group and
secured a starting position in the middle of the field. His
fastest lap was 1:04.057 minutes. This saw him start from 13th on
the grid. Meanwhile his team-mate Frijns crashed into the barriers
in the third qualifying group he was in. His ATEC-002 number 27
car was badly damaged, but the MS Amlin Andretti crew managed to
get the car ready in time to race. Frijns started the first race
of the year from the back of the grid.
The Race
Both MS Amlin Andretti drivers finished high up the field in
the Hong Kong ePrix – and both were impressive with clever energy
management. Félix da Costa got off to a good start and made up
several places. When the BMW i8 Safety Car came out after Nelson
Piquet junior’s (BR) accident on lap 18, the driver from Portugal
was already in seventh place. Félix da Costa returned to this
position after his pit stop seven laps later. By the end of the
race the MS Amlin Andretti driver had overtaken another two
drivers and finished fifth.
Frijns also had a strong race after his bad luck in
qualifying: He was the last driver in the field to head into the
pits on lap 26 – as the leader. The Dutchman returned to the
narrow street circuit in tenth place, went on to work his way up
the field and finished in sixth. The win at the season opener went
to the reigning champion Sébastien Buemi (CH).
The Reactions
António Félix da Costa, MS Amlin Andretti: “To be
honest, I didn’t have a good lap in qualifying, but then the race
went better. You never know where you stand at the start of the
season, but we can be totally happy with fifth and sixth. The race
was exciting, and I pulled off a few good overtaking manoeuvres.
We can build on this result.”
Robin Frijns, MS Amlin Andretti: “Wow, I didn’t
expect this result. I had a serious accident in qualifying, and
our team built a completely new car in two hours. I am very proud
of the crew. To leave Hong Kong in sixth place is fantastic.”
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 second race of the FIA Formula E Championship is scheduled
for 12th November 2016; the Marrakech ePrix in the Moroccan metropolis.