Sam Bird labelled third place in the 2017/18 Formula E standings as a "great achievement", despite missing out on the title to Jean-Eric Vergne.
After slashing Vergne's points lead at the Zurich E-Prix through a second place finish, Bird headed to Formula E's season-closing New York City E-Prix with 23 points separating him from his title rival, with 58 up for grabs.
Bird, though, was on the back foot from the start and qualified only 14th, and failed to have much of an impact in the race, improving only to ninth.
Vergne, meanwhile, was able to vault from last to fifth which, combined with Bird's low-key placement, ensured the ex-F1 driver wrapped up the crown with a race to spare.
In the season finale, Bird's struggles continued with the driver again cruising to a finish in the lesser points-paying positions in 10th place, over half a minute behind newly-crowned champion Vergne, who capped the season with a win.
“This weekend has not gone the way we wanted but it’s still been an amazing season,” said Bird, who finished third in the Drivers' Championship after getting overtaken in the points standings by Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler's Lucas di Grassi.
“If someone had told me at the start of the year that I’d be coming into the final weekend as a title contender I never would have believed them, but we were and that’s down to the hard work of everyone in the team.
"They’ve got the most out of the car and taken every opportunity that’s come our way and that’s a great achievement.”
For Bird's team-mate, Alex Lynn, the New York City E-Prix marked another difficult weekend in what has been a trying season for the rookie, who finished in 16th place in the Drivers' Championship with 17 points:
“For sure it’s been a difficult weekend for us, but as always we gave it our best shot and my thanks goes to the team for their commitment this season. As my rookie season, it’s been a steep learning curve but for sure an enjoyable one,” he said.
For Season Five, Richard Branson's Virgin squad is set to end its technical partnership with DS Performance who are set to partner with independent outfit Techeetah while it is understood that the team will sport Audi powertrains for Formula E's next generation of racing this December.
Season Five will commence on December 15 with the inaugural Riyadh E-Prix.
