BMW Andretti driver Antonio Felix da Costa says he is still “still tired” from preparing for BMW’s arrival to Formula E with Andretti.
For the first time BMW has designed the powertrain for Andretti as it becomes the factory team for the German marque, previously only engineering assistance from it.
Andretti endured two tough seasons after a failed powertrain design for season two left it on the back foot for the subsequent years. In season four it finished last in the team’s championship.
“I’m still tired from [those seasons] because I do a lot of things in a season with a few different programmes, a lot of flying and not much time at home. But when you’re winning and doing well it’s all kind of worth it,” da Costa said.
“It’s been hard in FE. When you have four, five bad races and you’re the one pushing to go back into the sim and try this and that and keeping pushing hard, you go back to a race track and it doesn’t work or it’s even worse.
“So I just feel tired from the last couple of seasons but it’s all going to be okay I think. What’s going on now was planned in my head two years ago. I knew this day could eventually come and we’re here now.
“I’m just glad because it’s been so much hard work, even when I had a bad car I don’t stop working hard. I actually work harder.”
Da Costa added the painful work of the last two seasons is beginning to show with BMW seemingly bringing a competitive car which topped all three days of the Valencia pre-season test.
“Sometimes you get home after five, six bad races in a row and you wonder what’s all this for. This is what it’s all for, because the last few years with Andretti has been to mould the team to prepare for this year.
“We now have the people to execute a good car so hopefully that will be the case. I’m sure it’s going to be super tight with Nissan, DS, Audi, I’m sure the Venturis and as a consequence the HWAs will be as well. I don’t really see anyone with a massive lack of pace, it’s all open to be honest.
“I think we’ll see a very close field so execution will be a crucial thing. But the last two years of hard times made us really strong.”
