Alexander Sims: “It wasn’t the way I hoped my final race weekend with the team would go”

Alexander Sims waved goodbye to Mahindra Racing and the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship after last weekend’s Seoul E-Prix, although it was not the weekend he was hoping.

The thirty-four-year-old leaves the championship having made fifty-five starts, with one win, three podiums and three pole positions to his name.  Sims will leave Formula E to return to endurance racing, with the British racer being replaced in the Mahindra team by Brazilian racer Lucas di Grassi. 

Sims retired from the opening race in South Korea after crashing out having already been involved in a collision with Antonio Giovinazzi, while multiple penalties for component changes left him at the back for race two, although he was able to fight through to twelfth at the chequered flag.

He ultimately finished a lowly seventeenth in the final standings with just two top-ten finishes to his name across his final season in Formula E, with his last points finish coming in New York City where he finished fourth.

“It wasn’t the way I hoped my final race weekend with the team would go but I would like to thank everyone I have worked with in the last two years – my engineers and crew have worked incredibly hard and are people I’ll consider friends for life,” said Sims.

“I wish the team the best of luck for Gen3 and I hope to see them lifting that World Championship trophy in the next few years.”

“I look forward to contributing to the Gen3 era going forward” – Oliver Rowland

Team-mate Oliver Rowland had a much more successful Seoul E-Prix weekend, at least on Saturday, with the Briton claiming pole position and securing a second-place finish, the teams’ first podium finish of the season.

Rowland was unable to stay ahead of the inspired Mitch Evans during Saturday’s opener in South Korea, but he was able to do more than enough to hold on for second place to take his first podium finish since his second place in the final race of the 2020-21 season in Berlin almost exactly a year previous. The result moved him to fourteenth place in the final Drivers’ Championship standings.

Rowland will remain with Mahindra next season when the Gen3 cars make their debut, and he hopes he can make a positive contribution to the team starting with Mexico City E-Prix in January.

“It was great to get my first pole position on Saturday and translate that into the team’s first podium of the season,” said Rowland.  “It was a shame to end the race early today after receiving contact, but we can still look at the positives from yesterday.

“I look forward to contributing to the Gen3 era going forward. It’s also fantastic achievement for the team to reach 100 races, now it’s on us to make the next 100 something really special.”  

Oliver Rowland took pole position for race one in South Korea – Credit: Sam Bloxham, courtesy of FIA Formula E