The 2021 Formula E season is not off to a good start for the BMW i Andretti Motorsport. This is their last season which just kicked off in Diriyah (KSA). BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers Maximilian Günther (GER) and Jake Dennis (GBR) both have missed out on the points. Günther reached sixth position in the first night race in the history of Formula E and was in with a good chance of mounting an attack on the podium but was forced to retire after sliding into crash barriers around ten minutes before the finish. Dennis, in his Formula E debut, crossed the line in twelfth place. The second race of the season will take place on Saturday.
Günther began the race from ninth on the grid, moving up two places at the start. He then concentrated on driving efficiently, conserving his two ATTACK MODES for the closing stage of the race. After a yellow-flag period saw the BMW i8 Roadster Safety Car at the head of the field, he pushed on and attempted to pull away from the cars behind, only to slide into crash barriers when he lost the racing line.
His BMW iFE.21 was too badly damaged to continue the race. Dennis started his first Formula E race from 14th place, gave a consistent performance and managed largely to steer clear of the tough midfield battles. He crossed the finish line in twelfth position. Victory went to Nyck de Vries (NED, Mercedes).
Roger Griffiths (Team Principal BMW i Andretti Motorsport, team standings: 10th place):
“Obviously, that was not the race we hoped for. It’s a disappointing start to the season. Maximilian sat in a pretty comfortable sixth position but then lost the car. The left side is damaged but the guys will look at it now and get it fixed for tomorrow. Jake learned a lot today. He had a conservative start, but especially in the second half of the race he showed strong pace. He will sleep on everything he experienced today and will come back stronger tomorrow. So will the whole team. We will analyse what happened today, improve certain things and come back fighting in tomorrow’s event.”
