The big interview: Sam Bird

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Sam Bird is one of the leading drivers in Formula E, where he lies third in the wins table and entertained thoughts of the title in the first two seasons. Season three will see the Englishman continue with DS Virgin Racing once again and Katy Fairman caught up with him during testing.

Sam is one of the UK’s finest racing talents. Having competed in series such as the FIA World Endurance Championship, GP2 Championship and worked closely with current Formula One Constructors’ Champions Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team as their official Reserve Driver, he knows a thing or two about racing. This is why we’re so pleased he is one of the many fantastic drivers who participate in the FIA Formula E Championship.

“The series is only ever going to improve,” Bird tells me outside the DS Virgin Racing garage, the team he races for in the all-electric championship. Cars are on track around us and we hear them arriving and departing from their pit boxes throughout the duration of the interview. We are at Donington Park, a British racetrack which hosts the pre-season testing for the championship over six days in August and September.

Sam confirmed just after the London ePrix that he would be staying on with DS Virgin Racing for the third season of the championship, however this year the Briton will be accompanied by Jose Maria Lopez as his team-mate, fresh from his stunning WTCC career. The two paid each other compliments in various interviews over the testing days and appear in great spirits ahead of the first race of the season in Hong Kong next month.

Bird finished last season fourth in the drivers’ championship and is looking to improve his place in the standings for season three. Taking home a win last season was a stand-out moment for Sam, but pinpointing a career highlight in the all-electric series wasn’t so easy.

“I mean Buenos Aires was pretty special, then again so was winning in London,” Bird exclaims. “My first win in Malaysia was pretty special too. All the wins have been good.”

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I won back-to-back in Monaco, with the World Series and GP2. The race especially in World Series, with my great mate Jules Bianchi, was really good fun.”[/pullquote]

Talk also turns to his career highlights outside the electric racing series.

Race weekend tradition often sees a motorsport series spread out over three to four days. You frequently find the running order as a whole day dedicated to media and sponsorship events, practice the day after, followed by qualifying on the Saturday and Race Day on the Sunday; all with support series taking to the track over the weekend too.

The FIA Formula E Championship does things a little differently. With no current support series – Roborace, a series of autonomous cars competing in driving algorithms on the Formula E tracks, will be acting as a support series in the near future – all eyes are on Formula E for the single day of racing.

“Formula E is a one day event so you are flat-out the whole day,” says Sam. “You know when I am driving my Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship, I have got Friday and Friday evening to go through all the data. You have got all the time in the world to set the car up; you can do data until you’re blue in the face. This you’ve got ten minutes: do the data, make a decision on the car. You make just one mistake, it can be day over. It’s very tough in that respect.

“The fans can see a day develop from the very beginning to the very end. That’s quite nice, it’s a good thing I think.”

Despite motorsport and batteries not usually being associated with each other or found in the same sentence, the FIA Formula E Championship has proved a hit with fans and already with just two season in has gained a large and loyal following. Of course there will always be motorsport fans that won’t be able to accept the championship; maybe it’s the noise, the speed or just the fact that the cars run on batteries which require a car-change mid-race.

“There have been criticisms on the speed and the noise,” Sam says firmly. “However we are only just starting off and building up.

“I think noise gives an emotion to motorsport, a certain emotion and it is what people are used to. People were used to screaming V8s and V10s in Formula One and when the new V6 came out with the turbo for F1, people didn’t like it. Now I think everyone is a bit more used to it.”

It’s true that changes towards an electric future are happening all around us, especially in motorsport. During the pre-season testing, drivers such as Allan McNish made appearances to talk about how we need to drive the future – the message often used by Formula E as their tagline. McNish, a previous WEC drivers’ champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, explained how teams such as Audi are using up to 40% less fuel at destinations like Le Mans, compared to ten years ago. Bird, as well as the other drivers in the championship are in agreement that we need to embrace electric.

[pullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“In 50 years’ time, everybody needs to get used to [Formula E] because this is the future.”[/pullquote]

Having such a high calibre of drivers is also incredibly beneficial to the sports campaign. Many of motorsport’s hottest property are wanting the chance to drive in the first ever all-electric championship. With such big names involved in the electric racing series, including Sam himself, it’s no surprise that fans have been quick to praise the driver and fan interaction available at race weekends and over the testing periods.

“A lot of the fans love the fact there is such a high calibre of drivers, teams, technology and locations,” Bird says. “There are many many fans of the championship and they are growing and developing.

“I am hoping and believing the series will be an extremely big and well-respected motorsport series, even more than it is now.”

We will look forward to seeing Sam at the first round of the 2016/17 season in Hong Kong next month.

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Images courtesy of Rajan Jangda

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