P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Huge driver deals that fell through – or were prevented. David Beckham as a team co-owner! Sam Smith reveals some tantalising Formula E possibilities that never quite came to fruition
conference being scheduled to announce the move, but just before that Gill received a call from BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt.Fresh from signing contracts with his driver of the future Antonio Giovinazzi, Marquardt wanted a chat as he was concerned about da Costa’s BMW DTM alignment.BMW and Dilbagh get along well and this marked the start of a brilliant two-way dialogue.After Sid Collins famously said ‘and there’s the news’ Marquardt called Gill back and said: “I’d like to sign da Costa, I think he can be a brilliant driver for the BMW i Andretti team.”A suitably devastated Gill recalled that he then made a rapid call to Andretti boss Roger Griffiths, who, according to Gill, hadn’t spoken to him ‘in a good while’.They agreed a deal and, of course, da Costa then became the squad’s longest-ever serving driver and the rest, as they say, is history.
