Sam Bird, who recently left Jaguar TCS, secured a thrilling victory for NEOM McLaren in the FIA ABB Formula E championship in São Paulo, overtaking former teammate and 2023 race winner Mitch Evans on the final lap.
The win at the Anhembi Sambadrome circuit was Bird’s 12th overall in the all-electric series and his first since the 2021 New York City race. This victory marked the fourth different winner in as many events this year.
WOW!!!!!!
For the first time since 2021… 👀
SAM BIRD WINS! The @McLarenFE man fights to the wire to secure victory in the #SaoPauloEPrix! 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/ui9LFGCUsU
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 16, 2024
With a bold maneuver on the 10th turn, Bird crossed the finish line 0.564 seconds ahead of Evans. Nissan’s Oliver Rowland took third place, 3.540 seconds behind Bird.
Speaking about his new team, Bird said, “Things have come on really well quite quickly. We had some goals at the beginning of the year about scoring some podiums. I would be lying to you, saying that I thought that we could definitely win a race this early. I didn’t imagine that, but we’ve managed it.”
Here are the #SaoPauloEPrix results after @sergiosettecama's disqualification 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/VLVUhaYzeM
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 16, 2024
Evans commented on the race, saying, “I was running out of power. I felt like I was in a Gen 1 car [the original, far slower version than today’s Gen 3 product] on the last lap. Even if Sam didn’t take me there [on Turn 10], he would’ve gotten me at the start-finish line. It’s good to see him back in his winning ways.”
Despite a setback that saw him finish last due to a wall-banger incident, Jaguar TCS’s Nick Cassidy, winner of the previous race in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, maintains the points lead heading into the next event in Tokyo on March 30. Cassidy leads Pascal Wehrlein by four points, with Wehrlein finishing fourth in São Paulo.
The Formula E season will continue with stops in Misano, Italy, and Monaco in April, followed by races in May in Berlin and Shanghai. The series will then return to Portland, Ore., for a doubleheader on June 29-30, before concluding with a twin bill in London on July 20-21.
A look at how the grid stands after Round 4 in São Paulo 👏🇧🇷#SaoPauloEPrix
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 16, 2024
