Formula E: Team points implications of disastrous BMW crash in Marrakesh
By Asher Fair
The crash between the BMW i Andretti Motorsport teammates in the Marrakesh ePrix had major points implications in the Formula E team standings.
BMW i Andretti Motorsport teammates Antonio Felix da Costa and Alexander Sims let what could have been the team’s first ever 1-2 finish in Formula E slip away late in the 2018-2019 season’s second race, the Marrakesh ePrix.
Da Costa, who won the season opener, the Ad Diriyah ePrix, and delivered BMW i Andretti Motorsport their first ever Formula E victory in doing so, led the 45-minute Marrakesh ePrix with slightly under nine and a half minutes remaining in it. Sims was running close behind him in second place while the rest of the field was well behind both of them.
However, they ended up making contact, which caused da Costa to retire from the race, and it caused Sims to lose three positions and fall back to fourth place, which is where he ultimately finished.
Here is a video of this accident.
Mahindra Racing’s Jerome d’Ambrosio went on to win the race while Envision Virgin Racing teammates Robin Frijns and Sam Bird ended up finishing it in second and third place, respectively.
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In addition to costing da Costa, who led the driver standings by 10 points (28 to 18) over second place Jean-Eric Vergne of DS Techeetah coming into the race, 25 points and costing Sims six points (dropping from 18 points as a result of a second place finish to 12 points as a result of a fourth place finish), this crash cost BMW i Andretti Motorsport a total of 31 points in the team standings.
Instead of scoring 43 points as a result of their first ever 1-2 finish in Formula E, the team had to settle for just 12 points on Sims’s fourth place finish. As a result, they now sit in a tie for second place in the team standings with 40 points with Mahindra Racing. These two teams trail DS Techeetah by seven points (47 to 40), and they lead fourth place Envision Virgin Racing by four (40 to 36).
Had da Costa and Sims held on to finish the race in first and second place, respectively, BMW i Andretti Motorsport would have ended the race with 71 points and a huge lead in the team standings instead.
Assuming that all of the other drivers would have finished in the positions where they were running when this crash occurred, here is what the top four in the team standings would look like.
- BMW i Andretti Motorsport – 71 points (-)
- DS Techeetah – 41 points (-30)
- Mahindra Racing – 30 points (-41)
- Envision Virgin Racing – 25 points (-46)
Every team except for BMW i Andretti Motorsport gained from this accident as far as being fewer points behind the leader of the driver standings is concerned, and BMW i Andretti Motorsport suffered in a big way as a result of it.
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Will BMW i Andretti Motorsport bounce back from their disastrous crash in the Marrakesh ePrix with a strong performance in the third race of the 2018-2019 Formula E season, the Santiago ePrix? This race is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 26, so be sure not to miss it.