BMW confirms manufacturer team for 2018-19 season
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BMW has confirmed it will enter a full works team in Formula E from the 2018-19 season. This will be the fifth running of the championship.
BMW is already involved in the series through the Andretti team.
BMW to launch own manufacturer team into Formula E
Parallel to BMW’s support of the Andretti Formula E team this season, BMW has officially registered its own manufacturer team with Formula E. The registration was accepted by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and BMW will field its own team for season 5.
The partnership between BMW and the Andretti team has been invaluable for both parties. The sharing of knowledge, assets and technology has meant the unified team has built and grown together. This collaborative effort will only prove to be positive.
The shift to a BMW own-manufacturer team is due to the long-term global motorsport strategy for the BMW Group. With a real push on electric innovation and technologies across Group initiatives, it seems only natural that BMW would duly field their own team. BMW i and BMW Motorsport will be tackling the premiere race series for all-electric single-seater cars head on.
“Since its inaugural season, Formula E has enjoyed rapid development and is now regarded as a high-level racing series. BMW i has contributed actively as Official Vehicle Partner from the word go and has left its mark on the series. Other manufacturers have now followed suit. Everyone involved is delighted to be taking steps to get involved on the sporting and technological side of Formula E. Planning is underway to compete with a works team in season 5. This required our registration as a manufacturer. This was completed by the required deadline.”
– BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.Exciting updates will be implemented into the 2018/2019 FIA Formula E season. These cover many aspects and will continue to haul Formula E into the spotlight. The Formula E car chassis has been redesigned by Spark Racing Technology and will debut in season 5.
A new standard battery has been developed by McLaren Applied Technologies which means teams will no longer need two cars per driver or a mid-race car change. This will further increase the efficiency of the entire tournament and help get closer to the ultimate electric car technology.
BMW i has been Official Vehicle Partner of the FIA Formula E Championship since the first season. The BMW i8 is the high-performance, efficient Safety Car in Formula E. The BMW i3 is the Medical Car and Race Director Car. The BMW X5 xDrive40e functions as the Rescue Car or Extrication Car.
This is great news for the series to have another manufacturer enter especially as their own team!! I do wonder for who they’ll go for in terms of drivers, I could see Quick Nick leaving Mahindra for them possibly. Also with BMW joining in the series in 2018, what happened to Mercedes joining the series then as well? (As nothing has been said about this?)
I hope to see Ferrari join soon, would be great to see BMW, DS, Audi, Merc and Ferrari in this sport. Although I get the feeling Ferrari would enter under a different brand until the team became decent. Perhaps Masarati. Fiat or Alfa?
I followed Formula E from day one. Suddenly my country in Africa is blocked. I can not watch a session or race not even through you tube.
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