Both Alexander Sims and Antonio Felix da Costa are cautiously optimistic about the pace they showed during the first official Formula E test this week.
Between them the BMW i Andretti Motorsport drivers topped each day of testing in what was an impressive showing for a team that finished bottom of last season’s standings.
Speaking afterwards da Costa said that while he was encouraged by the pace the team managed to show, he warned against thoughts of the team transforming this pace directly over to the first race in November.
“It’s been very promising,” da Costa said. “We got off to a good start from the word go – so that was really positive.
“It’s nice to see that we’re on the pace together with everyone on track. The track isn’t very representative compared to our street circuits, so it’s not like we can go away from here thinking we’ll win the first race.
“But the performance definitely motivates everyone and I’m encouraged with the outcome of testing.”
Rookie team-mate Alexander Sims said he too was hesitant to jump to conclusions after coming top on the first day, but thought that the pace they showed in differing conditions, including in wet, was reason to be confident going into the new season.
Sims said, “I was a bit hesitant of how to judge things after the first session on Tuesday, but we’ve gone through all the different conditions, particularly with the rain today and a fairly green track this afternoon.
“I think we’ve managed different situations well with our BMW iFE.18 cars. Obviously, the track itself is still unrepresentative but nevertheless we’ve been competitive in all conditions.
“I learned a lot from my side as the team was able to put me through different runs and set-ups, which has been really beneficial.”
