BMW eager to prove Diriyah FE win wasn’t one off

BMW Formula E chief Roger Griffiths hopes the team can prove its strong start to the season in Diriyah was not a “one off” as Alexander Sims chases a second straight win in Santiago this weekend.

Sims took pole position for both races of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend, and managed to win the second with a dominant lights-to-flag victory to take an early lead in the drivers’ championship.

Teammate Maximilian Gunther finished a provisional second, only to drop to 11th after a post-race penalty.

BMW’s strong start was reminiscent of its early form in 2018-19 when it won the Diriyah season-opener, but failed to score any further victories through the remainder of the campaign.

Previewing this weekend’s Santiago E-Prix in Chile, team principal Griffiths said the goal was to build on BMW’s strong start to the season, but conceded Sims’s place in the first qualifying group could dent its chances.

“The year ended on an obvious positive note with the win in Diriyah for Alexander and so the whole team is keen to show that this was not just a one off and is looking for more success as we head to South America,” Griffiths said.

“While everyone enjoyed a well-deserved break, it didn’t mean that the work stopped after the last round. Not only did we all take a long hard look at what led to the success in Diriyah, we also looked at areas we could improve upon as we fully expect our competition to come back strong in the New Year.

“Alexander is on a roll with his pole position sequence and will be looking to show his pace once more, although having to qualify in group 1 will be a special challenge for him. Max will be hoping to put the disappointment of the last race behind him and be aiming for a strong finish in his own right.”

Sims will head to Chile on a three-race streak of pole positions, having also topped qualifying for the New York finale of Season 5, but stressed he was not taking the form for granted.

“Obviously I am not heading to Santiago thinking that I will automatically get pole position and the win again, but I am ambitious enough to set my sights on getting another win,” said Sims.

“The BMW i Andretti Motorsport Team was strong in both Diriyah and Santiago in Season 5. I hope we manage the same again this time. All of the drivers will have to internalise the new track layout first. The training in the simulator has already helped me a lot with this.

“The fact that I will have to compete in qualifying group 1 for the first time is a challenge, but I hope that we will cope well and will be able to get another strong result.”