The range of activities in BMW i Motorsport and BMW M Motorsport will remain broad in the future. With its involvement in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, BMW demonstrates its electrification expertise and its claim as technological leader with the BMW i brand. On the other hand, the dynamics and the performance of BMW M cars remain paramount in the DTM and in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. As part of having a focus, BMW will bid farewell to the FIA World Endurance Championship at the end of the current ‘Super Season’. In customer racing, a new flagship for the GT3 category is in the works.

Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Development, said: “Motorsport is and will remain firmly established in the genes of the BMW Group. We are using our commitment – next to the sporting competition – to demonstrate our performance and future ability as a company. The same developers that are driving forward electrification for BMW i are also working in Formula E. This ensures that BMW is also synonymous with driving pleasure in the field of electromobility. Through sim racing, we are reaching new, young target groups and giving our young drivers another platform, on which to compete. We are also demonstrating that BMW M stands for performance and high-performance motorsport on the racetracks of this world – for example, with Class 1, GTLM, GT3 and GT4. With this broad programme, despite a challenging environment, we are well positioned and are supporting the goals of our company strategy Number ONE Next.”

Pieter Nota, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Customer, Brands, Sales, said: “Motorsport will remain of great significance for our brands BMW and BMW Motorrad in the future. However, this environment has become increasingly complex in recent years. With that in mind, we are very well positioned with our differentiation between BMW i Motorsport and BMW M Motorsport. This enables us to address our target groups even more specifically on the one hand, and to attain maximum widespread impact on the other hand. These are important evaluation criteria for our commitments.”

“Formula E has proved to be a fantastic platform for us to show our expertise in the area of electromobility, and to focus on other topics of the future. Our entry at the start of Season 5 was a resounding success, and we won at the first time of asking. Our involvement in this series is set for the long term. For us, Formula E is not simply a matter of motorsport, our involvement goes beyond that. For us, it is an important platform for demonstrating our expertise in the major fields of innovation in the automobile industry. What is important to us is that the cost-benefit ratio in Formula E remains positive, even with new competitors joining constantly.”

“We will not compete in WEC going forward. Therefore, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June will be another highlight for us in drawing to a close – just like in 2018, when we celebrated the successful world premiere of the BMW 8 Series Coupe there. But in light of us sharpening our focus as part of our strategy for the future, continuing our WEC involvement in the coming years does not fit with our direction. The global presence of BMW M Motorsport is safeguarded by customer racing and the DTM in Asia and Europe, as well as the IMSA series in North America, even without competing in a world championship. We would like to thank BMW Team MTEK for its dedication over recent years and we wish WEC all the best and hope that it makes good progress.”

“As part of the BMW M Motorsport Customer Racing Programme, privateer drivers and teams will continue to represent the BMW brand around the world in the future. We will provide them with a wide range of support – and competitive vehicles of course. The BMW M4 GT4 has proved to be a real winner since its debut in the 2018 season and the BMW M6 GT3 continues to celebrate regular victories all over the world. A successor for our successful GT3 model is already in the works. This means that works-supported starts in iconic international GT races such as at the Nordschleife, at Spa-Francorchamps or in Macau will still be possible.”