Sam Bird will drive for NEOM McLaren during Season 10. The announcement arrived a few hours ago, but the rumors placed Bird in McLaren for weeks.
After a year of ups and downs, Sam Bird left Jaguar at the end of Season 9. Meanwhile, René Rast decided to leave Formula E, freeing a spot at McLaren. The English team found an interest in Bird and decided to sign him for next year alongside Jake Hughes. This could be a winning move from McLaren for a few different reasons.
😉 The news you've all been waiting for…
🤝 Welcome to the Team, @sambirdofficial!
— NEOM McLaren FE (@McLarenFE) August 22, 2023
Bird is a very experienced driver who has raced in Formula E since its inception. Even if the Englishmen never won a championship he brings more than enough experience for McLaren. Bird collected 11 race wins and 26 podiums. During these years, he drove for three different teams – DS Techeetah, Envision Racing, and Jaguar – making him a driver ready to change coworkers and teammates. Bird is the perfect figure to put next to Hughes, the younger McLaren talent.
Hughes made his debut in Formula E only this year and achieved acceptable results, especially during the first part of the season. While also collecting a pole position. He is 29 years old, but his experience in the racing world isn’t wide. Formula E is the only category where he competed after the feeder series.
For this reason, Bird could be the perfect teammate, being older – he is 36 years old – and more experienced. Another important element of the new deal between McLaren and the former Jaguar driver is from a marketing point of view: now the British team has an English lineup, with Bird and Hughes both coming from the UK, and it could be successful in finding new sponsors.
Zak Brown comments
Sam Bird and McLaren need to work hard ahead of Season 10 after the difficult rounds lived by the team in the second half of Season 9. The British driver knows that a hard path waits for him, but he is excited about this new challenge:
“I’m super excited to get going with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. Becoming part of a team with so much heritage and prestige as the McLaren Racing family feels special. We know there is some work to do ahead of Season 10, to ensure we get to where we want to be, which is at the front of the Formula E pack. It feels great to be part of the team and I can’t wait to kick off the season preparations, I’m super motivated and driven to deliver success with the team in Season 10.”
Also, the McLaren CEO, Zak Brown, is confident of the new lineup:
“It is a pleasure to welcome Sam to the McLaren Racing family. Throughout his time in Formula E, Sam has proven himself to be an impressive talent, and we are eager to leverage his experience and expertise to help bring the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team further success in Season 10. Alongside Jake, I’m confident that we have one of the strongest pairings on the Formula E grid. Bring on Season 10!”
Jaguar, to replace Bird has signed Nick Cassidy, who drove for Envision. The Formula E ‘Silly Season’ is still at the beginning, with many seats available and only few drivers confirmed for Season 10.
