Sport
Brit Bird guns for glory in Formula E finale, plus latest news
WHILE other racing championships are in full swing and reaching their midseason breaks, the Formula E electric single-seater series is winding up with its final round this weekend in New York City.
It takes place on a street circuit in the suburb of Brooklyn, with the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline. But there won’t be much time to admire the view as the drivers battle for victory and, for two of them, the overall title.
There are two races over the weekend, and Brit Sam Bird is looking to repeat the double victory he achieved last year for DS Virgin Racing. Bird currently lies second in the drivers’ championship, and doing the double again will help him to overhaul Techeetah’s Jean-eric Vergne at the top of the standings.
There are 23 points between the two drivers, but with 25 points for a race win, plus three points for pole position and a point for the fastest lap, Bird has scope to make up ground, especially because he halved the gap to Vergne last time out at the Zurich E-prix in Switzerland.
“The whole team did a fantastic job to get the result [in Zurich] and leave us in this position where we’ll be fighting for the title in New York, and we know what happened there last year!” said Bird. “Now I know what we need to do; I need to beat him [Vergne] in the first race. If I can do that, we have a shot at the title.”
Bird’s hopes are helped by the fact that the tight Brooklyn circuit has delivered close racing and plenty of overtaking in the past. This year sees an extension to the track, bringing it up to 1.5 miles to take advantage of the additional range that the Formula E machines can achieve.
Both races from the New York E-prix can be seen live on Channel 5 on Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7.30pm. The event also marks the last hurrah for the first-generation Formula E chassis, which is being replaced by an all-new model, along with a revised race format, for the championship’s fifth season, which starts in Saudi Arabia in December.