New horizons for BMW i and MS Amlin Andretti with Formula E’s maiden African adventure

Munich (DE), 8th November 2016. The 2016/17 #fiaformulaechampionship season makes the second stop of its world tour in Marrakesh (MA) on 12th November. BMW works driver António Félix da Costa (PT) will drive one MS #amlinandretti ATEC-002 in the Marrakesh ePrix, while Robin Frijns (NL) will be at the wheel of the other. The race weekend marks Formula E’s first visit to Africa. The Moroccan #event is also perfectly timed to coincide with the United Nations climate change conference COP22 – the Marrakesh ePrix is the official opening sporting #event of the summit. The Challenge The season’s opening round in Hong Kong (CN) heralded a strong start to BMW’s electric #racing partnership with MS #amlinandretti, and the Moroccan ePrix represents a good opportunity for further development in performance. Félix da Costa and Frijns were placed fifth and sixth respectively in Asia, but the Marrakesh circuit presents a different character to Hong Kong. The race in the ‘Red City’ takes place on the calendar’s longest circuit – 2.97 km – and one of its fastest. It is also the first time Formula E has raced on a configuration previously used by another series, as the Moroccan round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) raced on a near-identical layout in 2016. Entering the second race of the season, the FIA Formula E’s third championship has already proven to be both tight and dramatic, with an outstanding and tactical race in Hong Kong. MS #amlinandretti and its drivers will be aiming to once again use wise strategy calls and strong race craft to maximise their points potential on Formula E’s maiden African excursion. The Expectations António Félix da Costa, MS #amlinandretti: “It’s a new country for myself, as well as for Formula E, and these new horizons are part of what is so exciting about this championship. The circuit looks quite interesting, so it could be a fascinating race. With a lot of fast sections, there’s going to be some fairly severe energy management, and that’s going to be the biggest factor in the minds of drivers and engineers here. Whoever gets it right can expect to reap the rewards. It looks like there will be plenty of overtaking opportunities too, so we can look forward to good #racing. It’s really tough to say where we’ll be in terms of our performance – this track might not suit us as well as Hong Kong did, but we’ll aim, like always, for first place, and see where we shake out.” Robin Frijns, MS #amlinandretti: “The Marrakesh circuit is the longest race on the calendar and it’s going to be a tough one for everyone with a lot of energy management. Looking back from Hong Kong I think we had a pretty good weekend, we’re (tied for) second in the team championship, so we started the season well. Let’s wait and see how this weekend goes – of course we are looking to do the same job as we did in Hong Kong. As I said before it’s going to be tough, but it’s going to be tough for everyone.”