Sam Bird is ready for his NEOM McLaren Formula E Team debut this weekend, at the season-opening Mexico City E-Prix.
Bird enters his 10th Formula E season hoping for a strong start to life at McLaren, following his move from Jaguar TCS Racing. It’s a big weekend for the veteran to show that he still has it, after being comfortably beaten by Mitch Evans at Jaguar last season.
Many view McLaren as the perfect side for Bird to rejuvenate his Formula E career, given that they are a young team with minimal experience. Bird’s knowledge and speed will be invaluable for McLaren. There is no doubting that when Bird is at his best, he is still one of the fastest drivers on the grid.
It’s just about the 37-year-old showing this on the racetrack, starting at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez this Saturday. A clean weekend is crucial for Bird to build some immediate momentum, as is competing with teammate Jake Hughes.
Bird is “extremely excited” to get his McLaren career underway and believes that a good result is possible in the Mexican capital, of everyone performs “to the best of our abilities”.
“I’m extremely excited to begin the season in Mexico City this weekend,” Bird said. “We’ve had a very productive winter break at the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team and everyone has been working very hard to ensure that we are in the best possible place going into our first race this year.
“I firmly believe that if we all perform to the best of our abilities, then we’ll come away from Mexico City with the results that we want and hitting the targets we have set. Bring it on.”
Bird will take some confidence from the fact that Hughes was so strong in Mexico City 12 months ago, with the 29-year-old having finished fifth on his Formula E debut. Hughes qualified in third last year, before losing two places during the race.
After successfully navigating through his rookie season, Hughes now needs to push on and challenge for big points on a more consistent basis, something he’s definitely capable of achieving. With a season of Formula E under his belt, Hughes now has a much better understanding of what is needed to compete with the frontrunners.
As mentioned, his first taste of competing towards the front came in Mexico City last season, with a “similar performance” being the plan this weekend.
“I’m really excited to get going in my second season in Formula E,” said Hughes. “Last year, there were some big highs and I learnt some lessons along the way, which is inevitable for someone in their first year. I’m looking forward to taking what I learnt last season and putting that into practice, starting in Mexico City this weekend.
“Last season, we began quite strongly with a top five finish here, so I’m hoping we can put on a similar performance this year and push forward.”
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