Following the conclusion of the 2022/23 Formula E season, it’s been confirmed that Sam Bird has left Jaguar TCS Racing after three seasons with the team.
Whilst Bird’s departure had unofficially been known for some time, it was officially confirmed by the Coventry-based team following the end of the season finale in London.
The British driver is set to be replaced by Nick Cassidy, who claimed victory in the final race of the season on Sunday to clinch Envision Racing the Constructors’ Championship.
Bird has reportedly secured a seat in the all-electric series for 2024 and is believed to be moving to NEOM McLaren to partner fellow countryman Jake Hughes, in what’ll be an all-British set up.
The 36-year-old’s now former team-mate Mitch Evans spoke about his “great relationship” with the Formula E veteran after the second race in London, and how he’s “really enjoyed working with him” since season seven.
“Sam’s been a great teammate, bar Hyderabad and Jakarta,” Evans joked to Motorsport Week.
“But we’ve had a great relationship since he entered the team. I got so much respect for Sam. I think in terms of stats, he’s still one of the best in Formula E. He’s had a tricky period with us personally and also just on the racing side. But, yeah, I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far. So let’s see what happens next.”
Change is ultimately needed for Bird in Formula E, with his switch to Jaguar having not reached the expected heights. When he made the move from Envision to Jaguar in 2021, many saw this as the British manufacturer’s missing piece to becoming a title contender.
In actual fact, it’s been Evans who’s led the side, whilst Bird has struggled. Bird has claimed just two wins for the team in the last three years, as well as a further five podiums. Four of those five rostrums came this season, in what’s been a better year for the driver.
Controversy has followed Bird this season though, most notably after he took out his team-mate in Hyderabad and Jakarta. Had it not been for either incident, Jaguar would’ve beaten Envision to the Constructors’ Standings. Evans, too, would’ve likely taken the championship fight to the last race of the year.
Bird has just failed to extract the most from Jaguar’s Gen2 and Gen3 packages, which has clearly boasted pace as proven by Evans. The Briton is definitely still quick enough to be a championship contender, but a new environment does appear to be needed.
He’s simply lacked the consistency needed to feature near the top of the championship, whilst he’s also made far too many driver errors. A new environment at McLaren would potentially give him a chance to reset, especially as he’s unlikely to have the pressure of a team-mate fighting for the title.
That’s by no means a discredit to Hughes, who has enjoyed a superb rookie campaign. It usually takes a driver a couple of seasons to truly adjust to Formula E, whilst McLaren also need a more efficient package to be amongst the fight at the front.
Bird openly admitted after the season finale that he isn’t where he “fully” wants to be performance wise, but that he had been “more competitive” than he’d been in 2022.
“In part, yes. That I have been far more competitive,” Bird told Motorsport Week, when asked if he’d made the progress he wanted to achieve in season nine.
“I’ve scored nearly 100 points. I’ve had four podiums. I’ve been on the front row many times. I’ve made the duels multiple times. So, in a way, yes. Am I where I fully want to be? No. But, yeah, I was more competitive this year, for sure.”
