BMW i to continue as ‘ABB FIA Formula E Official Vehicle Partner’

New partnership, new car design: ahead of the Mexico City E-Prix (MEX), BMW i made two important public announcements. Firstly,  BMW i has extended the contract as ‘ABB FIA Formula E Official Vehicle Partner’ and will continue to equip Formula E with an extensive fleet of BMW i safety vehicles through Season 6 and beyond. Secondly, the BMW i8 Safety Car will appear in a spectacular new design from the fourth race of the season onwards.

The announcement about the partnership extension took place during an evening event held by BMW i and Founding Main Partner Julius Bär in Mexico City, where the car was also revealed. Guests included Dr. Andreas Aumann, Vice President BMW i Product, eMobility, Pia Schörner, Head of BMW Motorsport Marketing, Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer of Formula E, and the internationally renowned influencer Brooklyn Beckham, who got the chance to take some exclusive photos with the new Safety Car ahead of the race.

“BMW i has played a pivotal role in the success of Formula E since the start of the championship,” said Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer of Formula E. “Not only as a founding partner, but also as a strong competitor and manufacturer currently leading the team standings. I am extremely pleased to continue our collaboration together as official vehicle partner long into the future. It shows BMW’s commitment as a leader in electric mobility.”

In addition to being ‘Official Vehicle Partner’, BMW i also provides the car fleet for the popular ‘BMW i VIP Laps’, the taxi rides on the racetrack that take place during Formula E events around the world. BMW i is also ‘Official Partner’ and ‘Founding Partner’ of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

“As a pioneer in the field of electromobility, and a founding member of Formula E, we are proud to extend our long collaboration and to support the series as ‘Official Vehicle Partner’ with our extensive fleet of support cars in Season 6 and beyond,” said Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer & Brand BMW. “One highlight is obviously our BMW i8 Roadster Safety Car, which we presented in Mexico with a spectacular new design. It is the first and only Roadster to be used as a safety car. Right from the word go, BMW i has played an active role in shaping the rapid development of Formula E for automobile manufacturers, companies and fans all over the world. From the very first minute, we have believed in the concept and used the inspiring environment to test our pioneering BMW i technology and innovations under competitive conditions in the technology lab that is Formula E, and to present them to the public.”

Safety Car design aligned with the colours of the light bar.

The BMW i8 Safety Car, which BMW i is making available as a Coupé and as a Roadster, also boasts a future-oriented and innovative new design. As was the case for the BMW iFE.20, the Safety Car has been designed by Michael Scully, Head of Design BMW Group Motorsport. It carries forward some elements of its predecessor. These include the blue and white corners, crossing over in the style of the BMW logo. Emphasis is also placed on the view from above, which plays a particularly important role due to the elevated seating location for many spectators at the Formula E races. Then there is the asymmetrical layout that provides maximum visibility at high speed. As with the race car, the non-reflective, matt black cockpit element that has been extended to cover the entire area around the driver represents the most striking change. This pushes the driver to the fore, underlining the core importance of this role. “We integrated the colours of the light bar into the design specially for the Safety Car. This makes the striking colour scheme for the car extremely authentic,” says Scully.

BMW i has long enjoyed a close connection with Formula E, appearing as ‘Official Vehicle Partner’ since Season 1. BMW i Andretti Motorsport has also been racing competitively since Season 5. After two wins in three races from Alexander Sims (GBR) and Maximilian Günther (GER), the team is currently heading the team standings. In addition to celebrating sporting successes, the BMW iFE.20 race car is used primarily as a technological laboratory for further development of drivetrain concepts for BMW i production cars. The Formula E project has seen the most intensive technology transfer between motorsport and series production in the history of BMW.