NEOM McLaren’s Sam Bird says the historical context of taking the team’s first victory in FIA Formula E hasn’t yet sunk-in.
Bird’s thrilling last-lap triumph at the Sao Paulo E-Prix last Saturday cements his place in the history of the famous McLaren name, as the win added yet another major motor racing category in which the British giants can boast victory. Bird has told Motorsport Week that the win is special not only for himself, but for the whole team.
“When you put it like that, it sounds extra-special – it’s incredible.
“I’m pleased for myself, obviously, but I’m more pleased for everyone at McLaren.
“This means the world to everyone here, this team was started from scratch at the beginning of Season 9, and I joined directly after London [E-Prix], and I remember having a debrief after the final race of Season 9 and talking about how we can improve, because last year, we didn’t have the season they wanted and was very challenging, so we set ourselves some goals for this season.
“One of them was getting more podiums than last year, and I felt like it was a realistic target, and I wasn’t expecting any wins this year but it just goes to show the progress we’ve made over the last four or five months of working together.
“Firstly, I’m working well with everyone on my side and I’m working well with everyone on Jake’s [Hughes] side as well; we’re working well with Nissan and improving things slowly but surely, and at the weekend, we showed a little bit of the progress we made in Diriyah and we took another step.
“But for being etched in the history of McLaren – I don’t think it’s sunk-in yet. It’s very special, and maybe I should appreciate what we as a team have been able to achieve.”
Thoughts now turn to the inaugural Tokyo E-Prix, and Bird is already excited to travel to Japan and put the work into a brand new street circuit.
“I’m hugely excited for Tokyo – it is one of my favourite cities.
“I’ve been to Japan many times, I’ve raced in Fuji and won there in another series; I’ve been to Suzuka with Formula 1 duties, and the fans there are on it when it comes to being so involved with the sport, they’re so so great and they love it so much.
“It’s a different vibe to Brazil, where you’ve got a rowdy rumble coming through the stadium and the sort-of samba which is super-cool, but the Japanese fans absolutely are so passionate and I can’t wait to see them.
“The track looks pretty intense and it looks a bit bumpy as well, I’m looking forward to getting stuck into that, and it’s always fun to visit somewhere new with Formula E.
“I don’t know how many venues we’ve been to, but this a great addition to the calendar and I can’t wait to get on that plane!”
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