Sims retained as BMW completes Formula E line-up
Alexander Sims will continue to race for BMW Andretti in Formula E after the manufacturer opted to keep its long-time factory driver in its works team for the 2019/20 season.
Sims made his FE debut with BMW last season and showed good pace, but his involvement in several incidents meant he only finished 13th in the drivers’ championship - seven places and 42 points behind teammate Antonio Felix da Costa.
The British driver's position in BMW’s FE squad remained uncertain over the summer as Sims confirmed he did not know if he would be re-signed for 2019/20 and the team was committed to reviewing its driver line-up even before da Costa left to join DS Techeetah.
“I learned so much in my rookie year; there were fantastic highs and some lows to overcome and I’m determined to utilise this knowledge and start where I left off, continuing to build from there,” said Sims.
“The competition is set to be tough this season with the other drivers, but I’ve got to grips with the unique challenges of Formula E and I’m ready to turn that experience into good results.”
BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt said Sims had “learned at a rapid pace in his first season, and showed that he can be up there at the front".
“He was unlucky in some of the races, but he finally celebrated his first podium at the finale in New York. I’m confident that he will be able to build on this in 2019/20,” Marquardt added.
With da Costa gone, Sims will partner Maximilian Gunther, who joined BMW last month.
Sims added he is “looking forward to working with Max, who did a good job last season and will be an asset to the team”.
Confirmed 2019/20 FE line-up:
| Team | Drivers |
|---|---|
| Nissan e.dams |
|
| Audi |
|
| Mahindra |
|
| Envision Virgin Racing |
|
| DS Techeetah |
|
| Dragon |
|
| Jaguar |
|
| NIO | TBA TBA |
| Venturi |
|
| BMW Andretti |
|
| Mercedes |
|
| Porsche |
|
Sebastien Buemi
Oliver Rowland
Lucas di Grassi
Daniel Abt
Jerome d'Ambrosio
Sam Bird
Robin Frijns
Jean-Eric Vergne
Antonio Felix da Costa
Brendon Hartley
Mitch Evans
Edoardo Mortara
Maximilian Gunther
Stoffel Vandoorne
Nyck de Vries
Neel Jani
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About this article
| Series | Formula E |
| Drivers | Alexander Sims |
| Teams | BMW i Andretti Motorsport |
| Author | Alex Kalinauckas |
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