A sensational opening weekend in the 2019-20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship for Alexander Sims saw the BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver clinch his first Formula E win at the 2019 Ad Diriyah ePrix after a perfect lights-to-flag victory from the British racer.
With two pole positions to boot in the season-opening double header and his first Formula E victory, Sims now leaves Saudi Arabia as championship leader with 35 points to his name.
The British racer said after a successful season-opening weekend: “We executed everything well, made the right decisions at the right times and it all paid off. Yesterday was tough but today we got it right. Everything went smoothly and it is credit to the whole BMW i Andretti Motorsport team.
The team has put in so much effort and stuck with me through the tough times last season, so it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line first and deliver that win for them – they thoroughly deserve it. We learned lots of lessons last season, yesterday too, and we will continue to do that. It’s great to put all that into practice, to take home the win and to be leading the championship.”
Also, Sims managed to set a new record this weekend by becoming the first driver to secure three consecutive Formula E pole positions after he set the fastest time during the Super Pole shootout in both Friday and Saturday’s sessions.
The 31-year old Brit had a weekend of two halves; Friday was more about learning, but he managed to execute the perfect race come Saturday.
In race one, he struggled with energy management and failed to hold off the advances of Sam Bird and Stoffel Vandoorne at the crucial time of the race. So when the Safety Car came a few laps before the end, he was dead meat and finished a disappointing eighth, losing crucial places at the end of the ePrix.
Saturday’s race was a different story as Sims left the grid like a scalded rat and made good his escape, building over a second margin within four corners. That was Sims’s narrative: no matter how much the pack pushed him, he was able to respond. Crucially, he used his attack mode perfectly to secure a career-defining victory at the start of his second season in Formula E.
The next race of the 2019-20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship will be in Santiago, Chile on January 18 2020 when Sims hopes to build his championship margin over the chasing pack.