Formula E fighting back against motorsport ‘boredom’ as Alexander Sims aims to break race-winning trend
British hopeful Alexander Sims insists Formula E is fighting back against ‘boredom’ in motorsport ahead of the first terrestrial broadcast for the all-electric championship’s Marrakesh E-Prix on Saturday.
The BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver, who sits second in the drivers’ championship only a point off the top, is keen to maintain his mounting title challenge in Morocco this Saturday, with the race live on BBC2.
The 31-year-old produced one of the drives of the season in the previous race in Mexico City, climbing 13 places to finish in fifth position and continue to breathe down the neck of Championship leader Mitch Evans, who took the chequered flag for Panasonic Jaguar Racing.
The all-electric racing series has seen four different winners in the first four races of the season, including a victory for Sims in round two in Diriyah, with the action expected to heat up even further at the Circuit Moulay El Hassan.
With the championship becoming famed for its unpredictability and competitiveness, the Londoner says motorsport fans are building respect for the series – but he would be quite happy to avoid being part of the entertainment by qualifying towards the front.
“Because we overtook 13 places (in Mexico) it meant that there were 13 places to overtake, so we didn’t start up as high as we wanted, but nevertheless it was a very good race,” said Sims. “We just need to get qualifying sorted (in Marrakesh) so we can start higher up and be in the mix from the get-go.
“Formula E started as a quirky championship being the first all-electric series, but the transformation to where it is now has been massive.
“The wider public now recognise Formula E as a serious top-level motorsport series that provides awesome entertainment. It doesn’t have the, shall we say, boredom of some other series. Formula E delivers every single time.
“It’s great that the race is live on the BBC and it should be an exciting one for my family and friends to watch, regardless of how well I do.”
Sims is racing in only his second season of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and had a quiet rookie year – finishing 13th well behind fellow British drivers Sam Bird and Oliver Rowland.
But Sims has taken on the mantle of lead British driver so far this season with a London E-Prix back on the calendar as the season finale and he admits expectations have changed after a strong first part of the season.
“We had a strong start in Diriyah and then your expectations immediately shift,” added Sims. “We had a bit of a disappointment in Santiago but to come back in Mexico – it is a nice place to be but we’re taking nothing for granted. This is going to be a hard season.”
Formula E returns on Saturday 29th February, with the Marrakesh E-Prix live on BBC Two from 13:30
