With a fleet of all-electric and hybrid BMWs already lapping the circuit at every race as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship's official vehicles, today BMW i announced it would be stepping up its involvement with the series to become the race title partner for the BMW i Berlin E-Prix on May 19.
"The race in Berlin has featured on the calendar every season and we’ve been working closely alongside BMW i for equally as long, so it’s pleasing to see their growing commitment to the series," said the series Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag.
To keep everything under control on track, Formula E and the FIA - motorsports governing body - relies on the two BMW i3s as the medical car and race director's car, an X5 iPerformance as the extrication car and two BMW i8 coupes that get put to work as the Qualcomm Safety Car, driven by Bruno Correia.
On top of all that, the marque is a technical partner of the MS&AD Andretti Formula E team, helping with the development of the powertrain that propels both Tom Blomqvist and Antonio da Felix Costa's cars. Next year, the German powerhouse will join Formula E as an official manufacturer team, putting its brand new BMW iFE-18 through its paces on city street circuits all around the world.
“The title partnership for the German round of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Berlin is a key component of our extensive commitment to this series,” said Jorg Reimann, Vice President BMW Brand Experience. “For BMW, the opportunity to actively shape the event and offer visitors a unique BMW brand experience is always at the heart of this kind of co-operation. That is precisely what we will be doing at the BMW i Berlin E-Prix alongside Formula E.”