Jaguar TCS Racing’sSam Bird secures a third-place podium on his 100th race in Formula E. The Brit also topped the times in Free Practice 1 and made it through to the Qualifying Duels.
Jaguar TCS Racing’sSam Bird secures a third-place podium on his 100th race in Formula E. The Brit also topped the times in Free Practice 1 and made it through to the Qualifying Duels.
Under the lights of Saudi Arabia, Sam Bird lined up third on the grid after making it through to the semi-finals of the Qualifying Duels. On the seventh lap of the 39-lap race, Sam made a decisive overtake on Sébastien Buemi to take the lead of the Diriyah E-Prix. The British driver held the lead of the race for 23 laps, strongly defending from the Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein and showing the pace of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6, before he slipped back into second place. With five laps to go, Jake Dennis was able to clinch second place, leaving Sam to round out the podium positions.
Mitch Evans also made it through to the Qualifying Duels but was eliminated by Jaguar-powered Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi in the quarter-finals. He lined up sixth on the grid on the Diriyah street circuit. The Kiwi had a challenging race but took the chequered flag in eighth position. Mitch was issued a five-second time penalty for causing a collision in the opening lap of the race, meaning he finishes tenth overall to secure an additional point.
Sam Bird is currently fifth in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship drivers’ standings, while Mitch Evans sits twelfth.
After the second round of the World Championship, Jaguar TCS Racing move to fifth in the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship teams’ standings.
A podium in the first race in Diriyah is a really strong result for the team. I’m incredibly proud of Sam on his 100th race to secure a podium and be performing so strongly all day. It’s a really positive result for Sam and the team. Mitch also had really good potential today. His issue at the opening corner and the resulting five second penalty ruled out the chance for Mitch to have a stronger points finish. A podium, double points finish and four Jaguar-powered cars in the top 10 really shows the potential of the Jaguar I-TYPE 6. We have a good foundation to build on for tomorrow.
JAMES BARCLAY
JAGUAR TCS RACING TEAM PRINCIPAL
I was disappointed with the result today and will be hoping from more tomorrow. It was great to get into the Qualifying Duels and finish third in both free practice sessions – a big step forward from Mexico – but it was quite a messy race. Sam was able to get a podium and as a team we seem solid but we need sit down tonight and crunch the numbers to ensure a stronger race tomorrow.
MITCH EVANS
JAGUAR TCS RACING DRIVER, #9
Firstly, I really want to thank the team. There has been so much work going on behind the scenes to get us where we are now. I know that we didn’t take the win today but this is still a little victory for us. To get a podium shows we’re heading in the right direction. We’ll continue to work hard ahead of the second race tomorrow.
SAM BIRD
JAGUAR TCS RACING DRIVER, #10
All-electric street racing continues under the lights tomorrow, 28 January, for the third round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
