BMW works driver António Félix da Costa in the #28 MS Amlin Andretti ATEC-002 finished fifth and his teammate Robin Frijns finished sixth in the Formula E season opener in Hong Kong.
The race was the first since the partnership between BMW and Andretti Formula E in the all-electric car Formula E series was announced.
In Formula E drivers change cars on their pit stops. While most of the front runners pitted early in a safety car period, da Costa pitted later. As a result he resumed the race in eighth, but as the late move left him with more energy than his competitors he was able to move up to fifth. Frijns also moved up late in the race. The overall win went to Sebastien Buemi, who runs for Renault.e.dams.
BMW is partnering with Andretti for now with a goal of entering its own car in the series in the 2018-2019 season. BMW currently supplies the series with an i8 safety car, an i3 medical car, and an X5 xDrive40e that functions as the rescue car or extrication
Formula E competition resumes on November 12 in Marrakech.—Brian S. Morgan
