Just days ahead of the 2019 CBMM Niobium Mexico City E-Prix, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship's Official Vehicle Partner BMW i pulled the covers off its new Safety Car livery.
Penned by Micheal Scully, Head of Design at BMW Motorsport, the BMW i8 Coupe Safety Car pays tribute to the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team's iFE.18 racers, piloted by Antonio Felix da Costa and Alex Sims. The design was developed in close collaboration between Formula E and the BMW Motorsport design team.
“As with the BMW iFE.18, the first priority when designing the Safety Car was the top view of the car,” explained Scully. “We have translated the themes found in the design of the BMW iFE.18 to the very different proportions of the BMW i8 Coupe. This livery gives the Safety Car a new dynamism and a bold level of expression appropriate to racing in the streets,” added the design boss.
With roots in Formula E dating back to the first season, when the German powerhouse joined the series as the Official Vehicle Partner, BMW has since supplied the entire fleet of safety and support vehicles, based on its hybrid i8 Coupe and all-electric i3 city car. Tuned for the track, the new-look Safety Car is modified using BMW M components, such as a roll bar, rear wing and rear hatch made of carbon fibre and a front splitter on the outside. In the cockpit, sports seats taken from the BMW M4 GTS and a four-point harness keep Safety Car driver Bruno Correia, a roof-mounted signal light system, BMW M carbon ceramic brakes and a sports chassis.