By alley - Oct 7, 2016, 9:01 AM ET

FE: BMW boss talks Andretti debut

BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt is confident the company's new partnership with the Andretti Formula E team will deliver something its involvement in sports car racing cannot provide. Speaking with RACER ahead of this weekend's FIA Formula E season opener in Hong Kong, Marquardt sees the natural extension between the all-electric series and the brand's line of electric commuter cars as a perfect fit.

"It is the potential really to engage with people that we see as customers and drivers of our electric cars," he said. "We have done studies and obviously we have been engaged in Formula E from the first race onwards because we supplied the safety car and some other vehicles. And we have really gone along with that platform and we have carefully looked at the demographics of people showing up for those races.

"And they are not the guys that are showing up at Petit Le Mans and watching the sports car races. They are really different people, and it comes from the concept that those [Formula E] races are in big cities. They are really right there where e-mobility makes the most since. The people that go there show up there."

Beyond the two-year contract with Andretti that will provide a crossflow of technical and engineering support, Marquardt expects to find value in bringing new fans to the sport through an emission-free form of motor racing. And if it sells more electric BMWs, the reasoning behind the program will achieve both goals.

"We will meet a lot of first-timers that are really interested in the electric sort of mobility ideas," he continued. "The dynamics behind it, as well, is we have always said from BMW's point of view there is a sheer driving pleasure in an i3 as well as in an M3. That is what we need to really get people hooked on. And we think that Formula E is having huge potential in that respect."

The actual competition side of Formula E has yet to catch on within the industry, but Marquardt believes the series' relative immaturity – it's only embarking on Year 3 – presents an opportunity for major brands like BMW to improve the spectacle.

"It is a new series, so being involved as a manufacturer, you can still help and steer in the right direction," he said. "The appeal of the cars is something to be worked on. There is a lot of potential there. And we just have to make sure it moves in the right direction, because I don't think that huge aerodynamics or whatever is necessary on those cars to make the racing more enjoyable.

"They need to be able to keep the tracks within the city, and in this environment, it is nice and interesting and tight racing but you need to show more capabilities of the cars to perform at increased levels. And that does not require a change to huge and complex cars."

Although the specific areas of help to come from BMW are somewhat undefined, Marquardt is confident the impending powertrain and battery storage updates that will eliminate mid-race chassis swaps will only improve the series' reputation.

"I think for us as a manufacturer, it is important to get this car change out of the way – to run without a car change throughout a race distance, period," he affirmed. "And also in that respect, it better relates to people – it says you do not have to worry about range in electric vehicles; it is covered. The technology is working really well, and it will continue to improve in Formula E. This is an exciting period for the series as it grows towards the future."