Bird had led at varied factors through the Brazilian occasion having began fifth on the grid, however was pressured to concede the result in Evans six laps from the tip as vitality administration and overheating turned vital.
But on the ultimate tour of the 34-lap race – which was prolonged by three laps following two safety-car intervals – Bird made his transfer, having shadowed Evans.
Approaching the quick left-hand kink of Turn 10, Bird moved to the skin as Evans defended and he accomplished the transfer across the outdoors into the 90-degree left of Turn 11 to take the lead on the penultimate bend.
It marks Bird’s first Formula E victory since 2021, when he gained in New York with Jaguar, having misplaced his seat with the British model for this season.
Evans took his first podium of the season in second, whereas behind there was a last nook change of position as Oliver Rowland made it back-to-back podiums for Nissan, a wonderful switchback on the ultimate bend permitting him to move each Jake Dennis and Pascal Wehrlein.
Polesitter Wehrlein was utterly unchallenged off the road and pulled out a major lead on the opening lap, whereas Stoffel Vandoorne maintained station behind in second.
Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23, Antonio Felix da Costa, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Evans jumped into third up the within of Jean-Eric Vergne, however the massive mover was Antonio Felix da Costa, who had moved into sixth from eighth by the tip of lap one.
The Portuguese driver was flying and, by the tip of lap two, had handed Bird, Vergne and Evans to maneuver into third, which turned the lead at the beginning of the third lap as Wehrlein and Vandoorne took the primary of two Attack Modes.
The German solely dropped to 3rd whereas Vandoorne slipped to sixth because the peloton model of racing, the place sitting within the slipstream to preserve vitality and which had been so distinguished in Brazil final yr, as soon as once more returned.
By the time a security automotive was deployed to retrieve particles off the circuit, notably Norman Nato’s entrance wing after contact with Nico Muller into Turn 1, Bird discovered himself as one of many solely main runners to have taken each Attack Modes.
It put him in a robust position as he sat within the slipstream of these in entrance, which was headed by da Costa, Wehrlein and Vergne when racing resumed on lap 9.
Over the following few laps, each Evans and reigning champion Dennis headed the sector earlier than dropping again after taking each Attack Mode activations and, by lap 15, Bird was again within the lead from Evans, Wehrlein and Dennis.
Behind the main 4, championship factors chief Nick Cassidy had struggled to make progress from his beginning position of ninth.
The Jaguar driver had broken his entrance wing earlier in proceedings and it proved to have disastrous penalties because the offending bodywork turned lodged underneath his tyre by the short Turn 10 kink.
The lack of management despatched him into the wall, bringing out a second security automotive, which provided Bird and people behind the prospect to save lots of very important vitality.
With vitality administration much less vital as soon as racing resumed, drivers noticeably defended their positions with overtakes few and much between.
But, with Evans struggling a battery derating difficulty because of the exceedingly sizzling circumstances, the Kiwi lacked high pace and admitted he ‘was a sitting duck’ on the ultimate lap.
Behind the highest 5, da Costa claimed his first factors of the yr in sixth forward of Vergne and Vandoorne.
Maserati MSG’s Maximilian Guenther made a exceptional restoration after serving a 10-second cease/go penalty having been handed a 40-place grid penalty as a result of altering elements previous to qualifying.
The German completed ninth with Sebastien Buemi finishing the highest 10 as each he and Envision team-mate Robin Frijns suffered with overheating tyres.
Race consequence:
