McLaren’s first Formula E victory in Sao Paulo “one of the most special”

McLaren’s first Formula E victory in Sao Paulo “one of the most special”


The Briton scored his 12th win in the all-electric championship by overtaking leader Mitch Evans in Brazil to lead the 34-lap race by several points.

The victory marks Bird’s first in almost three years after he last stood on the top level in New York in 2021 for Jaguar, before a barren streak that finally ended with him leaving the Big Cat at the end of last season.

So he moved to McLaren, and Saturday’s race was only the fourth in the new partnership, when the British manufacturer joined Formula E last year.

“I think this is one of the most special (wins) because of what I’ve had to go through to get back in this seat (winning the press conference),” said Bird.

“This one certainly feels very special, also the fact that it is a first for McLaren.

“We were aiming at the start of the year to score some podiums and I’d be lying to you if I thought we could win races this early.

“It would be a dream, I didn’t think about it but we managed it. That does not mean to say that we have succeeded and we need to rest, there is still a lot of work to do but to get our first victory we feel very special.”

Mitch Evans, Jaguar Racing, Jaguar I-TYPE 6, Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23, Sam Bird, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, e-4ORCE 04, Edoardo Mortara, Mahindra Racing, Mahindra M9Electro

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Sports Pictures

Evans took his first podium of the year by a second after showing fast straightaway speed before suffering problems in the last three races of 2023.

The Jaguar driver took the lead from his former team-mate six laps from the end of the race with a good amount of energy still to use.

But the blistering heat in Brazil took its toll as cars across the field were affected by overheating, with Evans suffering a penalty on the final lap that “felt like I was in a Gen1 car”.

He added: “It’s sweet I’d say. With a few laps left I thought it would be up to us again (after winning in Brazil last year) but I started getting heat warnings quickly and then it went up in the last lap.

“I had a big deficit on the last lap with power. I think even if Sam hadn’t passed me (when he got there) he probably would have got me to the start/finish line.

“It was a bit confusing, I had a lot of energy left, I was trying to get it home but just two corners shy.”