Coughton racer Alexander Sims endures frustrating time at London E-Prix

IT was a weekend to forget for Alexander Sims at his home race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Racing around London’s Royal Docks in the first motorsport event to take place both inside and outside ExCeL London, Sims recovered from a puncture to claim a 16th-place finish on Sunday, but was forced to retire from Saturday’s race after a first-lap collision.

There were better fortunes for his team-mate and fellow Brit Alex Lynn, though, who finished third in race one and took victory in the second after Lucas di Grassi was black-flagged for a controversial pit-lane infringement behind the safety car.

“It was a really disappointing weekend,” said Sims. “During both races we had sensible starts but got tapped from behind.

“In the first race it was contact from Mitch Evans, who I understand got hit from behind himself, and as a result broke something in the drivetrain.

“In the second race, I picked up a puncture on the first lap and was forced to pit for a new tyre, which pushed me to the back of the pack.

“It was a real shame as everyone in the team puts so much effort into these things. Huge congratulations go to Alex Lynn on his win and third place on Saturday – it’s a team effort and I’m pleased for him to do well.”

Coughton-based Sims set a fastest lap time of 1:24.584 in Saturday’s qualifying, narrowly missing out on the top six super pole shootout and securing an eighth-place start on the grid for the No. 29 Mahindra Racing M7Electro.

Unfortunately Sims’ race was short-lived when contact from behind on the first lap caused an impact with the wall that resulted in race-retiring damage.

The Mahindra Racing team worked hard overnight to get Sims’ M7Electro back on track for Sunday’s E-Prix.

In qualifying, he set a fastest lap of 1:21.064 to put him 17th on the grid. However, Sims’ bad luck continued as he was hit on the opening lap, causing a left rear puncture that forced him to head to the pits for a replacement tyre.

Back on track, Sims began to pick his way back through the pack, climbing to 16th before the chequered flag.

The final two rounds of the 2020-21 Formula E World Championship take place on 14th and 15th August as a double-header in Berlin, Germany.