Sam Bird sealed one of the crucial dramatic victories in Formula E historical past on the São Paulo E-Prix, with a shocking final-lap transfer on former teammate Mitch Evans.
In this manner he secures the NEOM McLaren’s first victory within the ABB FIA World Championship and his first with the group.
The race that included 212 aggressive overtakes was watched by tens of 1000’s of followers in Brazil’s most populous metropolis together with racing royalty Bernie Ecclestone and fellow countrymen Felipe Massa and Emerson Fittipaldi.
Sam Bird established an early lead in São Paulo, strategically utilizing Attack Mode to maintain forward of the pack, together with early frontrunner Pascal Wehrlein. Throughout the race, the highest 15 contenders had been tightly grouped, with minimal time variations accentuating the extraordinary competitors.
The lead shuffled between Bird, the Porsches of Wehrlein and his teammate António Félix da Costa, the Jaguar of Mitch Evans and Jake Dennis (Andretti Formula E) because the race ebbed and flowed. The consensus on technique earlier than the race was of an energy-critical encounter with the Anhembi Sambadrome Circuit’s lengthy straights and lengthy sweeping curves. Two Safety Car durations – together with one for the restoration of standings chief Nick Cassidy’s Jaguar when the Kiwi hit the wall in dramatic trend on Lap 16 – turned the rest of the race right into a straight dash to the end.
As the laps ticked down, Bird and Evans seemed to carry the benefit. Despite Dennis in third holding 1.5% usable power in-hand on the lead pair, his automotive was working too sizzling to capitalise. Inside the ultimate seven laps, together with three added on for these durations beneath the Safety Car, Evans appeared to have executed sufficient with a transfer across the outdoors of Bird at Turn 3 for P1.
However, the McLaren driver was not executed but. All too conscious he’d not received since Formula E’s journey to New York City in 2021, Bird couldn’t resist a last-ditch manoeuvre on Evans, his old sparring associate and Jaguar teammate for the highest step of the rostrum. Bird went all the best way across the outdoors of Turn 10 – his final likelihood to make one thing stick – and held on to take the within line and the lead into Turn 11, steering to the win with Evans simply half a second again. Most definitely the most effective strikes and finest finishes to a race in Formula E’s 10-season historical past.
Dennis’ temperatures had been important, and the Porsche-powered Andretti needed to handle issues to the end, permitting Oliver Rowland (Nissan Formula E Team) to capitalise because the reigning champion tried to fend off Wehrlein. Yorkshireman Rowland was capable of slice by each on the final nook, beating the pair in a dash to the end to 3rd, with Wehrlein edging Dennis for fourth.
António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) rounded out the highest six, whereas Brazilian home hero Lucas di Grassi (ABT CUPRA) solely managed thirteenth respectively.
This resulted in a considerable discount of Cassidy’s lead on the prime of the standings, attributable to his crash and absence of factors from this race. Wehrlein finds himself simply three factors again in second on 53 factors, with Evans third on 39 within the Drivers’ World Championship.
In the Teams’ Jaguar TCS Racing head TAG Heuer Porsche, 96 factors to 61.
Sam Bird, No.8, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, mentioned:
I mentioned on the radio, ‘I think he’s struggling’ and I used to be instructed to chill the automotive, after which I noticed the raise factors and I believed ‘well look, it’s now or by no means. I’ve bought to go.’ He defended the within and gave me simply sufficient room on the skin to have some sort of transfer. I don’t understand how shut it was to the wall, however it was honest racing and we bought it executed.
Mitch Evans, No.9, Jaguar TCS Racing, mentioned:
I’m actually blissful for Sam, he’s had a tricky few seasons so to see him get a win once more in his new colors – he appears to be like good in orange – I’m tremendous blissful for him. Got some good factors. I might have taken second coming into this weekend simply by way of my championship position, however the win was proper there…. I simply had no energy, so he would have gotten me to the road anyway, I used to be a little bit of a sitting duck.
Oliver Rowland, No.22, Nissan Formula E Team, mentioned:
The race was loopy, there was a lot to handle by way of temperatures… I managed to do nicely at first to stand up to seventh, and actually once I was there, I used to be fairly blissful to simply rating some factors however the automotive was actually good. I may carry the pace within the corners, and we had a superb technique so all the pieces was slightly below management, I believe you possibly can see that on the finish.
In the observe hyperlink you possibly can learn and/or obtain the Final Classification, the Drivers standings and the Teams positions within the championship after 4 races.
1 Final Classification Race
2 Drivers Championship Points after R4
3 -Teams Championship Points after R4
Source: Formula E
Photo: Courtesy Formula E
