Written by Max Smolarski, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
After three seasons at Jaguar Racing, Sam Bird will join the rising stars of NEOM McLaren, for Formula E’s 10th season. Having taken two wins and seven podiums for Jaguar, the Brit has found a new opportunity in the papaya team, after René Rast’s departure left the seat open. Despite a hard crash in Rome, which ballooned into six DNFs in that shunt, his four podiums in Season 9 went a long way towards a deserved 2nd place in the team’s standings, alongside Mitch Evans.
Bird will join the impressive rookie Jake Hughes, to push the McLaren team forward after a respectable eighth position in their first season. On his Jaguar departure, he mentioned that “it’s bittersweet to be leaving the team […], but I want to take the opportunity to say thank you to the team for everything and I look forward to what the future holds.”
Bird possesses a wealth of experience, having driven in excess of 100 races in the sport. He first took to the electric racing series in its inaugural season, back in 2014, and won the second-ever Formula E race, held around the streets of Putrajaya. The Briton boasted of a unique record, having won at least one Formula E race every season, a run that ended back in 2022.
Bird’s experience would be a shot in the arm for NEOM McLaren, who are entering only their second-ever Formula E season, having taken over the assets of the erstwhile Mercedes EQ Team at the end of 2022. The team from Woking would be looking towards Bird for his Formula E experience, and to help improve the team’s performance. Bird has previously driven for Virgin Racing (currently Envision Racing) and Jaguar Racing, and the team will aim to benefit from his experience to better their eighth position finish from season nine.
On Sam’s move to the new team, team Principal Ian James mentioned; “Sam is a proven force in Formula E, as well as other categories of racing, and his experience and determination will fuel the team ahead of an exciting season to come,” said James.
“As soon as the deal was done, his first question to me was when he could come into the office to start the preparations for season 10 – this clearly shows his hunger and commitment to making season 10 a success for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.”
And hungry, he definitely is. Both Bird and McLaren will certainly be looking forward to this new deal, and look to improve on their Formula E fortunes.