Sam Bird sealed a podium finish in the second race at the Rome E-Prix, a day after he caused one of the biggest crashes in Formula E history.
Bird’s Rome double-header was certainly an eventful one, given that his car was literally in pieces at the end of Saturday. In the opening laps of the first race of the weekend in the Italian capital, Bird went over a bump at the high-speed Turn 6 which unsettled his #10 Jaguar , causing him to lose the rear of his car.
He slammed into the wall as a result, before rolling into the middle of the circuit. Due to where his car came to rest, the Briton was ploughed into by several drivers, in what ended up being a six-car crash. It was a terrifying incident which, thankfully, all the drivers walked away from; albeit, slightly shaken.
For the Coventry-based team, it left them with a destroyed car to repair, something which resulted in an all-nighter for the outfit. Following a superhuman effort by his side, Bird’s car was ready for free practice 3 Sunday morning ahead of the 14th race of the year.
He went on to qualify in fifth for the second race of the weekend, giving him hope of a strong result to thank his team. His hopes of a big result were enhanced after his team-mate Mitch Evans launched over the top of Nick Cassidy, wiping the pair out.
The potentially title-deciding crash promoted Bird into third, where he smothered Norman Nato’s mirrors. Bird was clearly faster than the Frenchman but failed to overtake for second, with the pair having been in a “really good fight” for several laps.
Jaguar’s reportedly outgoing driver ultimately had to settle for third, which saw him claim his fourth rostrum of 2023. Most importantly, the podium brought Bird’s horrific run of form to an end, with his last points finish having been back at the seventh round of the season in Berlin.
After the race, Bird was quick to thank his team for building him a new car, whilst he shared his relief at having finally finished on the podium again.
“All credit to everyone at Jaguar TCS Racing for building a new car for me today and a podium-winning car at that,” Bird said.
“It’s been a hard run recently but today I feel relieved to have got my fourth podium of the season. In the race, the team delivered a fantastic energy strategy, but Norman placed his car very well on the track, gave a really good fight and I couldn’t find my way through.
“I still have the chance to score good points for the teams’ championship and I’ll be giving it everything I’ve got in London.
