António Félix da Costa in the #28 BMW iFE.18 finished fourth, and his BMW i Andretti Motorsport teammate, Alexander Sims, finished seventh in Car #27 in BMW’s home Formula E race, the BMW i Berlin E-Prix. Both drivers moved up from their starting positions to score points at the circuit on the grounds of the old Tempelhof Airport in Berlin. Félix da Costa ran in second for a time, but an understeer problem kept him off the podium. For Sims, the points finish marked the end of a multi-race drought.
The win went to Audi’s Lucas di Grassi. Nissan e.dams’ Sebastien Buemi finished second, and Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne finished third. With his win, di Grassi became the second two-time winner in the series’ Season 5. After Berlin, Félix da Costa is still in contention for the drivers’ championship; he is fourth in points behind Vergne, di Grassi, and Techeetah’s Andre Lotterer.
BMW i Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths said afterward, “BMW i is the title partner of this E-Prix and it is the home race for BMW—as such, it was a special event for everyone in the team, and one that we came into in a very determined mood. António scored some good, solid points, which could still prove very important in the championship. At the same time, it was obviously a fantastic race for Alexander, who ended a long barren run with that result. We made a few changes and took a slightly different approach to the race this time. That paid dividends. Finishing with two cars in the points is very good for the team. We now have a little time to prepare for Bern. We will use that to ensure we travel to the final European race of the season as well prepared as possible.”
The race in Bern, Switzerland, the eleventh in the series’ thirteen-race schedule, will run on June 22. The season concludes with a double-header on the streets of Brooklyn, New York on July 13–14.—Brian Morgan
[Photo courtesy BMW AG.]