Formula E is quickly confronted with the departure of two major brands. After Audi, BMW is now also stopping its participation in the electric racing championship.
Just days after Audi reported that it will stop its Formula E participation after the coming season, BMW says it will also throw the towel. After the 2020/2021 season it is over and out. BMW will have had seven years in the racing class, in which it won several times with its BMW i Andretti Motorsport team and took podium places.
The racing class has been of great value to the development of electric passenger cars, according to BMW. In Formula E, car manufacturers mainly work on energy management. The insights and innovations gained in this area can not only improve the FE car, but can also be transferred to production models. The engineers behind the Formula E car take their knowledge to the brand’s R&D centers. According to BMW, Formula E has now proven its added value and this has now been ‘fully utilized’. In short, there is nothing more to be achieved for BMW, they imply. Undoubtedly, the cost secretly also plays a role in the imminent departure.
The past two seasons have been the most successful for the BMW-linked Andretti team. In the 2018/2019 season it finished fifth among the constructors. Last season, the team also recorded three victories.