Alexander Sims (born 15 March 1988, in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
) is a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
professional racing driver, currently competing in the
ABB FIA Formula E Championship for
Mahindra Racing
Mahindra Racing is a motor racing team based in Banbury, United Kingdom, competing with an Indian racing licence. The team is currently competing in the electric FIA Formula E Championship since the inaugural season in 2014. The team formerly co ...
. Previously Sims has driven for
BMW i Andretti Motorsport for two years, winning one race in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
.
Sims was the winner of the 2008
McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
The Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award is an award set up in 1989 to reward and recognise young racing drivers from the UK. As its names suggest, the award is backed by Aston Martin, motorsport magazine Autosport, and the British Racing Drivers' Cl ...
for promising young British drivers.
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
An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...
in 2006.
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. In 2007, Sims raced in the main series with
Manor Competition
Manor Motorsport Ltd, currently trading as Manor Endurance Racing Ltd is a British motor racing company that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth. Manor has participated as a team in many motorsport disciplines since ...
. He finished eighth overall, after taking one win at
Donington Park, and second places at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
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, 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
Adam Robert Christodoulou (born 11 June 1989, in Lichfield) is a Greek-British racing driver, who won the 2008 British Formula Renault Championship, also won the 2009 Star Mazda Championship in the United States. His less successful cousin Ri ...
, 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. He also contested the final round of the
Formula BMW Pacific in
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
, finishing eighth with the fastest lap. In December 2008, Sims won the
McLaren Autosport BRDC Award
The Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award is an award set up in 1989 to reward and recognise young racing drivers from the UK. As its names suggest, the award is backed by Aston Martin, motorsport magazine Autosport, and the British Racing Drivers' Cl ...
.
Formula Three
At the 2008
Autosport Awards ceremony, Sims announced his plans to race with German team
Mücke Motorsport
Mücke Motorsport is an auto racing team based in Germany, which is also known as ADAC Berlin-Brandenburg.
History
Single-seaters
Mücke Motorsport was formed by Peter Mücke in 1998 to run his son Stefan Mücke in the German Formula BMW ADAC ...
in the
Formula 3 Euro Series
The Formula 3 Euro Series was a European-based junior single seater formula for Formula Three chassis that was launched (in its current form) in 2003 as a merger of the French Formula Three Championship and German Formula Three Championship. The ...
. In a season dominated by
Jules Bianchi
Jules Lucien André Bianchi (; 3 August 1989 – 17 July 2015) was a French motor racing driver who drove for the Marussia F1 Team in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
Bianchi had previously raced in Formula Renault 3.5, GP2 and Form ...
, Sims took fourth place in the championship, with a win at the
Nürburgring and four second places. He also took part in two rounds of the
International Formula Master
International Formula Master, also known as Formula Super 2000, was a European-based junior single seater formula. The series was conceived as a competitor for Formula Three and made its debut at Valencia in 2007. European television channel Euros ...
series, with two fourth places at the
Hungaroring
The Hungaroring is a motorsport racetrack in Mogyoród, Pest County, Hungary where the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix is held. In 1986, it became the location of the first Formula One Grand Prix behind the Iron Curtain. Bernie Ecclestone w ...
being his best results. For
2010, Sims would move to
ART Grand Prix
ART Grand Prix is a French motor racing team that competes in formula single-seaters in Europe. In 2012, it competed in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series as Lotus GP to reflect sponsorship from British sports and racing car manufacturer Lotus. The ...
.
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
Hexis Racing is an auto racing team based in Lédenon, France. Hexis Racing was founded by Michel Mateu, CEO of Hexis S.A. in 2001, initially for participation in the French Formula Renault Championship. Hexis later moved into grand tourer racing ...
in 2013 to compete at the
Blancpain Endurance Series
The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, formerly for sponsorship reasons the Blancpain Endurance Series from 2011 to 2015 and Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup from 2016 to 2019, is a sports car racing series developed by SRO Motorsports Gr ...
with a
McLaren MP4-12C
The McLaren MP4-12C, later known simply as the McLaren 12C, is a sports car that was designed and manufactured by McLaren Automotive. It was the first ever production car wholly designed and built by McLaren, and their first production road ...
, partnering with
Álvaro Parente
Álvaro Parente (born 4 October 1984) is a Portuguese professional racing driver.
Career
Early career
After winning the Karting European Junior Championship in 1998, Porto-born Parente made his debut in auto racing in 2001 at the age of 16, ...
and
Stef Dusseldorp
Stef Dusseldorp (born 27 September 1989 in Winterswijk, Gelderland) is a Dutch racing driver.
He started a career in formula cars in 2007, having competed in series such as Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup (5th in 2008) and the German F ...
.
In 2014 and 2015, Sims raced at the
British GT Championship
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...
for Ecurie Ecosse with a BMW Z4.
The Brit competed at the
2016 Blancpain GT Series
The 2016 Blancpain GT Series was the third season of the Blancpain GT Series. The season started on 10 April in Misano and ended on 2 October in Barcelona. The season featured ten rounds, five Endurance Cup rounds and five Sprint Cup rounds.
Ca ...
for
Rowe Racing
ROWE Racing is the motor racing team of the German lubricant manufacturer ''ROWE Mineralölwerk GmbH''. Since 2011 ''ROWE Racing'' has competed in series such as the VLN (Association of Nürburgring Endurance Cup Organizers), the GT World Challeng ...
with a
BMW M6
The BMW M6 is a high-performance version of the 6 Series marketed under the BMW M sub-brand from 1983 to 2018 (with a break from 1990 to 2004).
Introduced in the coupe body style, the M6 was also built in convertible and fastback sedan ('Gran ...
, winning the
24 Hours of Spa
The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by TotalEnergies.
History
The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their a ...
.
In 2017 he competes at the GT Le Mans class of the
IMSA SportsCar Championship
The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (IMS ...
with a factory BMW M6.
Sims competed in two races of the
2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship
The 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship was the seventh season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, an auto racing series co-organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). ...
for
BMW Team MTEK.
Formula E
In May 2017, Sims was present at the
Monaco ePrix
The Monaco ePrix is a recurring automobile race of the Formula E World Championship which takes place in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Circuit
On 18 September 2014 it was announced that Formula E would be racing on a shorter version of the original M ...
as a stand-by option for
Robin Frijns
Robin Frijns (born 7 August 1991) is a Dutch motor racing driver. He is the 2012 Formula Renault 3.5 Series champion, and the first driver to have won the series in his debut season since Robert Kubica in 2005. Frijns is currently competing in F ...
. Later that month, he was announced as a development driver for
MS Amlin Andretti for the
2017-18 season. 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
The 2019 New York City ePrix (formally the 2019 New York City E-Prix) were a pair of ePrix which were the final two races of the 2018–19 Formula E season held in Brooklyn, New York around the Brooklyn Street Circuit. This was the third runn ...
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
The 2019 Diriyah ePrix (officially the 2019 ABB FIA Formula E Saudia Diriyah ePrix) was a pair Formula E electric car race held at the Riyadh Street Circuit in the town of Diriyah, north-west of Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia on 22 and 23 November 2 ...
.
In August 2020, it was announced that Sims would replace Jerome D’Ambrosio at Mahindra Racing for the
2020–21 Formula E season
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the Baseline (typography), baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally lo ...
, who retired from competitive racing to become deputy team principal at
Venturi Racing
Venturi Racing (formerly Venturi Formula E Team) is a Monegasque motor racing team controlled by Scott Swid (Chairman and principal owner) and José M Aznar Botella. The team competes in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Venturi Racing ...
. 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
Oliver Rowland (born 10 August 1992) is a British racing driver. He is currently competing full-time in Formula E driving for Mahindra Racing. He has previously competed for Manor Motorsport in the 2018 WEC season, and he was also previously t ...
.
Racing record
Career summary
† As Sims was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
† 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)
Complete GP3 Series results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
‡ 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)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Complete British GT Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula E results
(
key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Alexander
1988 births
Living people
Sportspeople from London
People educated at Stamford School
English racing drivers
British Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
Formula 3 Euro Series drivers
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers
French Formula Renault 2.0 drivers
Formula Renault 2.0 WEC drivers
Formula Renault Eurocup drivers
GP3 Series drivers
British Formula Three Championship drivers
24 Hours of Daytona drivers
24 Hours of Le Mans drivers
FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers
Blancpain Endurance Series drivers
24 Hours of Spa drivers
British GT Championship drivers
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers
Formula E drivers
Formula BMW Pacific drivers
International Formula Master drivers
Auto GP drivers
European Le Mans Series drivers
FIA World Endurance Championship drivers
Manor Motorsport drivers
SG Formula drivers
Team Meritus drivers
Mücke Motorsport drivers
ART Grand Prix drivers
Charouz Racing System drivers
Double R Racing drivers
Status Grand Prix drivers
Motopark Academy drivers
T-Sport drivers
Carlin racing drivers
Ecurie Ecosse drivers
Hitech Grand Prix drivers
Rowe Racing drivers
BMW M drivers
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers
Andretti Autosport drivers
Mahindra Racing drivers
Corvette Racing drivers
TOM'S drivers
Karting World Championship drivers
Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers