Sam Bird ‘can’t quite believe’ Diriyah E-Prix ‘is my 100th race’

Sam Bird is hoping to celebrate his one-hundredth race in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in style this weekend at the Diriyah E-Prix, after the Jaguar TCS Racing driver endured a miserable start to Gen3 and the 2022/23 season.

The Mexico City E-Prix was not one to remember for Bird, who suffered a technical issue in Free Practice Two, hampering his time on-track. As a result, he struggled in qualifying and ended up twenty-first on the grid. This didn’t actually matter too much, as the Formula E veteran retired in the opening laps following yet another technical fault.

It marked a disappointing start to Gen3 for Bird; however, looking ahead to this week’s double header in Diriyah, the Brit is “positive” about the two rounds ahead. The Riyadh Street Circuit has been a good venue for Bird over the years, with him having claimed victory twice in Diriyah – he also holds the lap record. It is most importantly, though, his one-hundredth race in the series, meaning he wants a special result to help celebrate the occasion.

“I’ve got fond memories of competing in the Diriyah E-Prix as I’ve won the race twice before and I currently hold the record for the fastest lap which I secured last year. While the result in Mexico City was disappointing, we have learnt from the data and I am positive about the next two rounds. It is my 100th race in Formula E which I can’t quite believe and I want to mark that with a decent result.”

“I’m feeling motivated to finish higher” – Mitch Evans

On the other side of the Jaguar garage, Mitch Evans is hopeful of a better weekend than he had at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where the New Zealander managed to claim eighth.

Whilst Evans managed to score points, he was hoping for a lot more from the first race of the season given that the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 showed “plenty of pace and efficiency”. The Diriyah E-Prix has been a mixed venue for Evans over the years, with the twenty-eight year-old having claimed one podium at the venue, whilst three of his last five results at the circuit were non-points finishes.

After gaining some points in Mexico City, Evans is “feeling motivated to finish higher” this weekend, where he’ll be hoping to truly ignite his 2022/23 season.

“Following my eighth-place position in the opening round of the season, I’m feeling motivated to finish higher and score even more points. I know the Jaguar I-TYPE 6 has plenty of pace and efficiency and I’ve worked closely with the team to prepare for the challenges that Diriyah will bring.”