No messing, let’s get straight to the point: this is a video of BMW’s ultimate eco warrior being thrashed well beyond the edge of adhesion by Formula E racing driver Nelson Piquet Jr. This is the BMW i8 throwing some outrageous shapes.
Is it drifting or a carefully edited spin – you be the judge. But it’s an entertaining 94 seconds of footage, nonetheless. Especially as it also involves a group of engineers from wireless charging company Qualcomm attempting to answer questions about the technology from the passenger seat.
This particular i8 is also the Formula E safety car, hence the roll cage. And the light bar. Qualcomm’s tech is used to support the new all-electric racing championship, which zapped into action for the first time this past weekend.
The opening round in Beijing was marred by a spectacular final lap incident between Nicolas Prost (another famous son) and Nick Heidfeld, which sent the German into and then over the catch fencing. Going on that form, we’ll be seeing a lot more of the i8 in future rounds of the series, which take place in city centres across the globe, culminating in London on 27 June 2015.
