Alexander Sims (racing driver)

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Alexander Sims
Alexander sims brandshatch2014.JPG
Sims in 2014
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1988-03-15) 15 March 1988 (age 33)
London (United Kingdom)
FIA Formula E Championship career
Debut season2018–19
Current teamMahindra Racing
Car number29
Former teamsBMW i Andretti Motorsport,
Starts39
Championships0
Wins1
Podiums3
Poles3
Fastest laps2
Best finish13th in 2018–19, 2019–20
Finished last season19th
Previous series
20142015
201213, 15
200910, 12
2008
2008
2008
200708
2007
2007
200607
British GT
FIA European F3 Championship
Formula 3 Euro Series
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 WEC
Formula Renault UK
Formula Renault 2.0 France
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
FRUK 2.0 Winter Series
Awards
2008McLaren Autosport Award

Alexander Sims (born 15 March 1988, in London) is a British professional racing driver, currently competing in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship for Mahindra Racing.[1] Previously Sims has driven for BMW i Andretti Motorsport for two years,[2] winning one race in Saudi Arabia.[3]

Sims was the winner of the 2008 McLaren Autosport BRDC Award for promising young British drivers.[4]

Career[]

Karting[]

Sims' kart racing career started in 1998 when he started competing in club competitions. In 2000, Sims had a successful campaign, he won the Super 1 MSA Cadet Championship, the Kartmasters Grand Prix, the 5 Nations Cup and came second in the Champions of The Future British Cadet Championship. Sims latterly added the JICA British Championship, the Monaco Kart Cup, three British Grands Prix and the Formula A World Championship, before moving into single-seaters in 2006.[5]

Formula Renault[]

Having started his car racing career in late 2006, Sims scored a second place in his first ever car race in the Formula Renault UK 2.0 Winter Series, before finishing ninth in the championship standings.[6] In 2007, Sims raced in the main series with Manor Competition.[7] He finished eighth overall, after taking one win at Donington Park,[8] and second places at Brands Hatch and Thruxton. He also forayed into the French and Northern European Cup championships during the season and added his first pole position in the category, at Val de Vienne during the French championship. Sims also contested the 2007 UK Winter Series,[9] but failed to finish in three of the four races.

Sims remained with Manor Competition in Formula Renault UK for 2008, and challenged for the championship. Finishing every race, Sims actually scored the most points over the course of the championship, with 473. However, Formula Renault UK employs a points system that means that a driver must drop their two worst scores over the season. Unfortunately for Sims, his worst scores were a pair of ninths worth 24 points, and Adam Christodoulou, his main championship rival dropped two retirements. Thus, a 24-point swing resulted in Christodoulou turning a one-point deficit into a 23-point championship win.[10] He also contested the final round of the Formula BMW Pacific in Macau, finishing eighth with the fastest lap.[11] In December 2008, Sims won the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award.[12]

Formula Three[]

Sims competing at the second round of the 2010 Formula 3 Euro Series at Hockenheim

At the 2008 Autosport Awards ceremony, Sims announced his plans to race with German team Mücke Motorsport in the Formula 3 Euro Series.[13] In a season dominated by Jules Bianchi, Sims took fourth place in the championship,[14] with a win at the Nürburgring and four second places.[15] He also took part in two rounds of the International Formula Master series, with two fourth places at the Hungaroring being his best results. For 2010, Sims would move to ART Grand Prix.[16]

Sports car racing[]

In 2012, Sims drove a Lola-Judd LMP2 for Status Grand Prix at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and two rounds of the European Le Mans Series.

He joined Hexis Racing in 2013 to compete at the Blancpain Endurance Series with a McLaren MP4-12C, partnering with Álvaro Parente and Stef Dusseldorp.

In 2014 and 2015, Sims raced at the British GT Championship for Ecurie Ecosse with a BMW Z4.

The Brit competed at the 2016 Blancpain GT Series for Rowe Racing with a BMW M6, winning the 24 Hours of Spa.

In 2017 he competes at the GT Le Mans class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship with a factory BMW M6.

Sims competed in two races of the 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship for BMW Team MTEK.

Formula E[]

Sims driving for BMW i Andretti at the 2020 Mexico City ePrix.

In May 2017, Sims was present at the Monaco ePrix as a stand-by option for Robin Frijns.[17] Later that month, he was announced as a development driver for MS Amlin Andretti for the 2017-18 season.[18] He would join BMW for Season 5, partnering Antonio Felix Da Costa. At the final race of the season at the 2019 New York City ePrix Sims claimed pole position and the first podium of his Formula E career finishing 2nd. Returning with BMW for the 2019–20 Formula E season, Sims won his first race in Formula E at race 2 of the 2019 Diriyah ePrix.

In August 2020, it was announced that Sims would replace Jerome D’Ambrosio at Mahindra Racing for the 2020–21 Formula E season, who retired from competitive racing to become deputy team principal at Venturi Racing.[19] Sims ended the season with a podium in the 2021 Rome ePrix, five point scoring finishes, and 54 points, enough for 19th at the end of the year standings. For 2022, Sims would stay with Mahindra, but this time partnered by Oliver Rowland.[20]

Racing record[]

Career summary[]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2006 Formula Renault UK Winter Cup Manor Competition 4 0 0 1 1 52 9th
2007 Formula Renault UK Manor Competition 20 1 0 1 3 272 8th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 2 0 0 0 0 16 37th
Formula Renault UK Winter Cup 4 0 0 0 0 20 19th
French Formula Renault 2.0 5 0 1 0 0 19 15th
Pole Services 4 0 0 0 0
2008 Formula Renault UK Manor Competition 20 2 1 3 12 449 2nd
Formula Renault 2.0 WEC 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 SG Formula 2 0 0 0 0 7 19th
Formula BMW Pacific Team Meritus 1 0 0 1 0 0 NC†
2009 Formula 3 Euro Series Mücke Motorsport 20 1 1 2 5 54 4th
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 5th
International Formula Master T.S.P. 4 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Macau Grand Prix City of Dreams/Räikkönen Robertson 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 18th
2010 Formula 3 Euro Series ART Grand Prix 18 1 0 0 5 63 4th
British Formula 3 Championship 6 1 0 1 2 N/A NC†
Masters of Formula 3 1 0 1 0 1 N/A 2nd
Auto GP Charouz-Gravity Racing 4 0 0 0 0 0 25th
Macau Grand Prix Räikkönen Robertson Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
2011 GP3 Series Status Grand Prix 16 1 0 2 5 34 6th
British Formula 3 Championship Motopark 3 1 0 0 1 17 18th
Macau Grand Prix TOM'S 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 18th
2012 European Le Mans Series Status Grand Prix 2 0 0 0 1 15 10th
24 Hours of Le Mans 1 0 0 0 0 N/A NC
Formula 3 Euro Series ThreeBond with T-Sport 3 1 0 2 1 N/A NC†
FIA Formula 3 European Championship 2 0 0 0 0 N/A NC†
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 15th
2013 FIA Formula 3 European Championship ThreeBond with T-Sport 12 0 0 1 5 112 10th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th
GP3 Series Status Grand Prix 2 0 0 0 1 77 8th
Carlin 6 1 0 1 2
Blancpain Endurance Series Hexis Racing 5 0 0 0 1 24 15th
FIA GT Series Boutsen Ginion Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2014 British GT Championship Ecurie Ecosse powered by Black Bull 8 2 3 4 4 129.5 3rd
Blancpain Endurance Series Triple 888 Racing 1 0 0 0 0 9 22nd
Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am Ecurie Ecosse 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC†
2015 British GT Championship Ecurie Ecosse powered by Black Bull 9 2 2 0 4 143.5 2nd
Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro-Am Ecurie Ecosse 1 0 0 0 0 22 16th
FIA Formula 3 European Championship HitechGP 6 0 0 1 0 0 NC†
Macau Grand Prix Double R Racing 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd
2016 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Rowe Racing 10 0 0 0 2 23 11th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 5 1 0 0 1 56 4th
British GT Championship Barwell Motorsport 5 0 0 1 0 23 14th
FIA Formula 3 European Championship HitechGP 3 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Macau Grand Prix Double R Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 10th
2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM BMW Team RLL 11 3 0 2 4 317 2nd
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Rowe Racing 4 0 0 0 0 6 27th
Intercontinental GT Challenge BMW 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2017–18 Formula E MS Amlin Andretti Development driver
2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM BMW Team RLL 11 2 1 0 4 304 6th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Rowe Racing 3 0 0 0 1 29 15th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Pro BMW Team MTEK 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2018–19 Formula E BMW i Andretti Motorsport 13 0 1 0 1 57 13th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Pro BMW Team MTEK 2 0 0 0 1 23 19th
2019–20 Formula E BMW i Andretti Motorsport 11 1 2 1 1 49 13th
2020–21 Formula E Mahindra Racing 15 0 0 1 1 54 19th
2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship - GTLM Corvette Racing 3 0 1 1 1 953 10th

As Sims was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DC Points
2009 Mücke Motorsport Dallara F308/005 Mercedes HOC
1

17
HOC
2

8
LAU
1

Ret
LAU
2

22
NOR
1

2
NOR
2

16
ZAN
1

13
ZAN
2

9
OSC
1

5
OSC
2

4
NÜR
1

7
NÜR
2

1
BRH
1

4
BRH
2

2
CAT
1

2
CAT
2

2
DIJ
1

8
DIJ
2

4
HOC
1

6
HOC
2

14†
4th 54
2010 ART Grand Prix Dallara F308/048 Mercedes LEC
1

3
LEC
2

1
HOC
1

Ret
HOC
2

8
VAL
1

3
VAL
2

5
NOR
1

4
NOR
2

4
NÜR
1

4
NÜR
2

3
ZAN
1

4
ZAN
2

5
BRH
1

5
BRH
2

8
OSC
1

2
OSC
2

8
HOC
1

4
HOC
2

5
4th 63
2012 ThreeBond with T-Sport Dallara F312/008 ThreeBond Nissan HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
BRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
RBR
1
RBR
2
RBR
3
NOR
1
NOR
2
NOR
3
NÜR
1

8
NÜR
2

1
NÜR
3

12
ZAN
1
ZAN
2
ZAN
3
VAL
1
VAL
2
VAL
3
HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
NC‡ 0‡

Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
As Sims was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete Auto GP results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Points
2010 Charouz-Gravity Racing BRN
1
BRN
2
IMO
1
IMO
2
SPA
1
SPA
2
MAG
1
MAG
2
NAV
1

11
NAV
2

Ret
MNZ
1

9
MNZ
2

15
25th 0

Complete GP3 Series results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DC Points
2011 Status Grand Prix IST
FEA

8
IST
SPR

1
CAT
FEA

Ret
CAT
SPR

Ret
VAL
FEA

6
VAL
SPR

2
SIL
FEA

2
SIL
SPR

3
NÜR
FEA

12
NÜR
SPR

2
HUN
FEA

DSQ
HUN
SPR

9
SPA
FEA

Ret
SPA
SPR

Ret
MNZ
FEA

21†
MNZ
SPR

Ret
6th 34
2013 Status Grand Prix CAT
FEA
CAT
SPR
VAL
FEA
VAL
SPR
SIL
FEA
SIL
SPR
NÜR
FEA

8
NÜR
SPR

2
HUN
FEA
HUN
SPR
8th 77
Carlin SPA
FEA

5
SPA
SPR

1
MNZ
FEA

5
MNZ
SPR

6
YMC
FEA

2
YMC
SPR

7

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 DC Points
2012 ThreeBond with T-Sport ThreeBond Nissan HOC
1
HOC
2
PAU
1
PAU
2
BRH
1
BRH
2
RBR
1
RBR
2
NOR
1
NOR
2
SPA
1
SPA
2
NÜR
1

8
NÜR
2

12
ZAN
1
ZAN
2
VAL
1
VAL
2
HOC
1
HOC
2
NC‡ 0‡
2013 ThreeBond with T-Sport ThreeBond Nissan MNZ
1
MNZ
2
MNZ
3
SIL
1
SIL
2
SIL
3
HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
BRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
RBR
1
RBR
2
RBR
3
NOR
1

14
NOR
2

4
NOR
3

5
NÜR
1

2
NÜR
2

3
NÜR
3

Ret
ZAN
1

Ret
ZAN
2

10
ZAN
3

9
VAL
1

2
VAL
2

2
VAL
3

3
HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
10th 112
2015 HitechGP Mercedes SIL
1
SIL
2
SIL
3
HOC
1
HOC
2
HOC
3
PAU
1
PAU
2
PAU
3
MNZ
1
MNZ
2
MNZ
3
SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
3
NOR
1
NOR
2
NOR
3
RBR
1
RBR
2
RBR
3
ZAN
1
ZAN
2
ZAN
3
ALG
1

25
ALG
2

15
ALG
3

13
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
NÜR
3
HOC
1

5
HOC
2

DSQ
HOC
3

4
NC‡ 0‡
2016 HitechGP Mercedes LEC
1
LEC
2
LEC
3
HUN
1
HUN
2
HUN
3
PAU
1
PAU
2
PAU
3
RBR
1
RBR
2
RBR
3
NOR
1
NOR
2
NOR
3
ZAN
1
ZAN
2
ZAN
3
SPA
1
SPA
2
SPA
3
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
NÜR
3
IMO
1
IMO
2
IMO
3
HOC
1

9
HOC
2

11
HOC
3

5
NC‡ 0‡

As Sims was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete European Le Mans Series results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 Rank Points
2012 Status Grand Prix LMP2 Lola B12/80 Judd-BMW HK 3.6L V8 LEC
3
DON
Ret
PET 10th 15

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2012 Republic of Ireland Status Grand Prix Netherlands Yelmer Buurman
France Romain Iannetta
Lola B12/80-Judd LMP2 239 DNF DNF
2018 Germany BMW Team MTEK Portugal António Félix da Costa
Brazil Augusto Farfus
BMW M8 GTE GTE
Pro
223 DNF DNF
2021 United States Corvette Racing United States Tommy Milner
United Kingdom Nick Tandy
Chevrolet Corvette C8.R GTE
Pro
313 44th 6th

Complete British GT Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DC Points
2014 Ecurie Ecosse
powered by Black Bull
BMW Z4 GT3 GT3 OUL
1

Ret
OUL
2

1
ROC
1

2
SIL
1

3
SNE
1
SNE
2
SPA
1

4
SPA
2

1
BRH
1

4
DON
1

Ret
3rd 129.5
2015 Ecurie Ecosse
powered by Black Bull
BMW Z4 GT3 GT3 OUL
1

6
OUL
2

3
ROC
1

1
SIL
1

3
SPA
1

4
BRH
1

1
SNE
1

8
SNE
2

10
DON
1

Ret
2nd 143.5
2016 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 GT3 BRH
1
ROC
1
OUL
1
OUL
2
SIL
1

Ret
SPA
1

8
SNE
1

9
SNE
2

Ret
DON
1

5
14th 23

Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results[]

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2016 Rowe Racing BMW M6 GT3 Pro MIS
QR

2
MIS
CR

3
BRH
QR

Ret
BRH
CR

16
NÜR
QR

7
NÜR
CR

9
HUN
QR

21
HUN
CR

13
CAT
QR

8
CAT
CR

24
11th 23

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2017 BMW Team RLL GTLM BMW M6 GTLM BMW 4.4 L Turbo V8 DAY
8
SEB
6
LBH
4
COA
2
WGL
1
MOS
1
LIM
6
ELK
6
VIR
4
LGA
8
PET
1
2nd 317
2018 BMW Team RLL GTLM BMW M8 GTE BMW S63 4.0 L Twin-turbo V8 DAY
9
SEB
2
LBH
8
MDO
2
WGL
7
MOS
7
LIM
7
ELK
6
VIR
1
LGA
1
PET
4
6th 304
2021 Corvette Racing GTLM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R Chevrolet 5.5 L V8 DAY
2
SEB
5
DET WGL WGL LIM ELK LGA LBH VIR PET
4
10th 953

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2018–19 BMW Team MTEK LMGTE Pro BMW M8 GTE BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 SPA LMS
Ret
SIL FUJ SHA SEB
2
SPA LMS 19th 23

Complete Formula E results[]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Chassis Powertrain 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Points
2018–19 BMW i Andretti Motorsport Spark SRT05e BMW iFE.18 ADR
18
MRK
4
SCL
7
MEX
14
HKG
Ret
SYX
Ret
RME
17
PAR
Ret
MCO
13
BER
7
BRN
11
NYC
4
NYC
2
13th 57
2019–20 BMW i Andretti Motorsport Spark SRT05e BMW iFE.20 DIR
8
DIR
1
SCL
Ret
MEX
5
MRK
Ret
BER
9
BER
19
BER
10
BER
13
BER
11
BER
13
13th 49
2020–21 Mahindra Racing Spark SRT05e Mahindra M7Electro DIR
7
DIR
15
RME
Ret
RME
2
VLC
DSQ
VLC
23
MCO
Ret
PUE
4
PUE
Ret
NYC
Ret
NYC
6
LDN
Ret
LDN
16
BER
17
BER
5
19th 54

References[]

  1. ^ "Oliver Rowland joins Alexander Sims at Mahindra Racing for Season 8". FIA Formula E. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  2. ^ "BMW retains Alexander Sims for Formula E in 2019/20". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  3. ^ Reuters (23 November 2019). "Britain's Alexander Sims races to first Formula E win in Saudi Arabia". the Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  4. ^ Bruce, Rupert (4 May 2021). ""Barriers are being knocked down fast": Alex Sims on the evolution of e-cars". Julius Baer. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Alexander Sims: Karting highlights". Driver DB. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series 2006 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  7. ^ "UK: Alexander Sims Croft test 2007-05-17". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Alexander Sims: First Formula Renault UK Win". Alexander Sims. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  9. ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series 2007 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 UK 2008 standings | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  11. ^ "MACAU - Round 16 Race results - automobilsport.com". www.automobilsport.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  12. ^ "2008 Videos | Autosport Awards". awards.autosport.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  13. ^ Anderson, Ben (8 December 2008). "Sims to graduate to Euro Series". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  14. ^ "Formula 3 Euro Series | Motorsport Stats". results.motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  15. ^ "2009 Formula 3 Euro Series Nurburgring | Motorsport Stats". results.motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  16. ^ Freeman, Glenn (ed.) (10 December 2009). "Pit & Paddock: Sims targets glory with ART". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. 198 (11): 22.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Sims on standby for Frijns at Monaco". 8 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  18. ^ Mitchell, Scott (23 May 2017). "Alexander Sims set for Andretti Formula E 2017/18 development role". Autosport. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  19. ^ "2019/20 Formula E: Mahindra Racing sign Alexander Sims replacing Jerome D'Ambrosio". The Indian Express. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Rowland replaces Lynn at Mahindra for 2022 Formula e season".

External links[]

Awards
Preceded by
Stefan Wilson
McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
2008
Succeeded by
Dean Smith
Retrieved from ""