Sam Bird eyes more Diriyah glory with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team

Sam Bird joined NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in August ahead of Season 10 start in January 2024. (NEOM McLaren)
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  • British driver has 10 wins, 3rd-place championship finish in all-electric racing series

RIYADH: Few Formula E drivers will be looking forward to the Diriyah E-Prix double-header on Jan. 26 and 27 as much as Sam Bird.

The new NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver has record at the Riyadh circuit that not many rivals can match on any track 鈥� two wins and podium in his illustrious career.

Bird, 36, is a veteran of all nine seasons of the electric car series and has quickly settled in at his new team ahead of the 10th campaign starting on Jan. 13 in Mexico.

He told Arab News: 鈥淓verything is going very, very well. I鈥檓 very impressed with the work ethic from everybody. That鈥檚 from comms team, to data engineers to engineers, great team boss, everybody is performing at a high level. And there鈥檚 no reason why this team can鈥檛 deliver straight out the box in Mexico.

鈥淥bviously, I鈥檓 still learning about the car, about how the team operates and works. But it鈥檚 a great team. And I feel very much at home already.鈥�

Since the launch of the first Formula E season in 2014, Bird has won 10 races and finished third in 2017-18 with DS Virgin Racing. From 2020 he raced for Jaguar until his move to NEOM McLaren in August.

He noted that the sport had come a long way since the early days.

Bird said: 鈥淚n 2014, everybody had the same car. We had two cars for the race. At one point during season one, we didn鈥檛 know whether we would finish the championship. We thought the championship might be finished before it even started.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 just grown. Manufacturers got involved, they saw the unique opportunities that Formula E could give them in terms of marketing, in terms of software development, that would then go onto the production line.

鈥淚t鈥檚 worked so well, we鈥檝e now got better teams, better drivers, more manufacturers. We鈥檙e now a bona fide World Championship racing series.

鈥淭he series has gone from strength to strength. It鈥檚 now nearly a decade old, but we鈥檙e still a very new racing series. But we have grown at a very quick rate in comparison to most other forms of sport. And I think that we as a championship should be very proud of this,鈥� he added.

Season nine in 2023 saw the introduction of the Gen3 car, the fastest and most efficient Formula E model yet.

Bird said: 鈥淚 actually found it fine to adjust to it. But whenever you get a new car, there are teething problems. And I think everybody experienced some small little issues last year.

鈥淲e also had a new tire and tire partner in Hankook. Now getting your head around the tire is a very important part of racing. So that took a bit of time as well, understanding where the sweet spot might be with this tire. And that鈥檚 kind of an ongoing process, I think for everybody.

鈥淏ut everybody鈥檚 learned an awful lot from last year, everybody鈥檚 going to be coming out of the blocks this year thinking that they have more knowledge than last year. And everybody will do a better job this year. Everybody鈥檚 reliability, everybody鈥檚 performance, everybody鈥檚 tools and software will be at a higher level in season 10 than it was in season nine, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� he added.

As Formula E enters its 10th season, Bird pointed out that the series was staring to get the recognition it deserved.

鈥淚f I speak to people and they ask what I do, and I say I鈥檓 a racing driver, they then ask what series I do, and I say Formula E. Nine times out of 10 now people know of Formula E, have heard of Formula E, whereas that wasn鈥檛 the case four or five years ago.

鈥淪o, I do think that we are now quite a well-known series, the next step is to get a bigger fan base. And I think we鈥檙e doing a very strong job of that.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not even a decade old yet, so we have to realize that these things don鈥檛 happen overnight, it鈥檚 going to take time, and the team at Formula E and all the teams themselves have got strategies in order to try and improve our engagements and try and improve our fan base.

鈥淏ut we have a great set of loyal fans, hundreds of thousands of them that tune in each weekend to watch us race. We normally pack out each race venue, which is awesome as well. And the reason for that is that it鈥檚 an entertaining, action-packed, thrilling race that a whole family can come and enjoy,鈥� he said.

Bird鈥檚 most rewarding venue has been New York, where he took first place three times, but he now has a new favorite.

鈥淣ow that New York is no longer there, Diriyah is the next one where I鈥檝e had the most wins. I鈥檝e had two wins there and a podium there before. More points there than anybody else.

鈥淒iriyah stands out as somewhere that I go to and score big points and that鈥檚 certainly the plan again this year.

鈥淚鈥檓 very much looking forward to some of the new venues as well, specifically Tokyo. I think that鈥檚 going to be really incredible and Formula E have done a mighty job on getting us to some of these new venues.

鈥淪o, I would say the one I鈥檓 looking forward to going to and trying to score big points is definitely Diriyah. But there鈥檚 no reason why we can鈥檛 try and do that every race,鈥� Bird added.