British driver Sam Bird says the drivers in Formula E are among the best in the whole of motorsport.
The 36-year-old, who drives for Jaguar TCS Racing, is entering his ninth season in the single-seater electric car championship.
“For speed and talent it’s outrageous,” Bird told BBC South Today.
“People in the know would agree that Formula E has possibly the strongest drivers – but I don’t think anyone outside the hardcore knows that.”
The 2023 Formula E Championship begins in Mexico City on Saturday.
Veteran Bird, from Poole in Dorset, has won 11 races and made the podium 22 times over his nine seasons on three different teams, and says slowly but surely the competition is changing perceptions.
“If we look back to the very beginning nobody understood what Formula E was and to be honest the teams and drivers didn’t really understand what we were doing,” he added.
“The fact that it has grown so quickly, become an FIA world championship event, and recruited arguably more motoring manufacturers than most motorsports, is testament to just how important it has become.
“The competition has come an awfully long way and the technology is incredible.”
New Gen3 cars ‘damn fast’
Eleven teams, including McLaren, Maserati and Cupra – who are lining up on the grid for the first time – and 22 drivers will battle it out over 16 races in 11 countries to be crowned overall champion this season.
The new Gen3 car they will be racing is specifically designed for street racing, and is lighter and more powerful than its predecessors, with a top speed of 200mph.
All teams share the same chassis, battery and car tyres but are able to develop their own power trains.
Bird believes the Gen3 model is a game-changer: “These cars will look damn fast in a straight line and that should be very entertaining and exciting.
“The main difference for me is the tyre, which is the most important component on the vehicle because it is the part connected to the ground.
“Our new tyres work in a different way to the old ones so we have had to manipulate the balance of the car.
“The way we brake is different and the feel of the pedal is different due to the fact that we now use front regenerative braking – before we were using hydraulic brakes on the rear axles.
“In terms of the chassis it doesn’t feel too different and the surroundings in the vehicle feel very similar.”
Bird determined after ‘weak’ 2022 results
Bird has finished in the top five of the Formula E standings four times over his eight seasons of racing.
His best result was third overall at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.
But for the first time he failed to register a single win last year.
“My performances last season were weak and I’ll be the first to admit it.
“I’ve been working with a sports psychologist and my goal is to hit peak performance far more often than last year.
“My focus is on Mexico and as long as I can keep performing at my best than I am sure the results will speak for themselves.
“With my skillset and the team the results will come.”
