Neom McLaren’s Sam Bird snatched a dramatic win from Jaguar’s Mitch Evans thanks to a daring move on the final lap of Saturday’s thrilling Sao Paulo Eprix, delivering to team papaya its first ever win in Formula E.
Bird pounced at the penultimate corner to grab his first win since 2021, with Evans just 0.564s adrift at the checkered flag.
Oliver Rowland snagged the final podium spot in a crazy last corner move, squeezing past both Pascal Wehrlein and Jake Dennis to take third.
Bird bolted out to an early lead after the first round of attack mode boosts, keeping Porsche poleman Pascal Wehrlein at bay while leading a pack of 15 cars running nose-to-tail, with often just three seconds separating the top 10.
The lead kept swapping between Bird, Porsche teammates Wehrlein and da Costa, Evans and Andretti’s Jake Dennis.
Everyone knew before the race that managing energy would be crucial because of the long straights and curvy Anhembi Sambadrome Circuit.
Drivers were forced to contend with two Safety Cars periods, including a neutralization triggered by Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy when the championship leader crashed into the wall on lap 16. This turned the rest of the race into a flat-out sprint to the finish.
©McLaren
Bird and Evans were neck and neck in the lead as the race unfolded. Even though Dennis in third place had some extra energy compared to his direct rivals, the Andretti charger’s car running hot and could not exploit his additional capacity.
With just seven laps to go – including three added by the previous two Safety Car periods – it looked like Evans had secured the win after overtaking Bird on the outside at Turn 3.
However, Bird had no intention of giving up. It had been quite some time since the Briton had last tasted victory, his most recent win dating back to the streets of New York City in 2021.
Determined not to let the opportunity elude him, he seized his final chance at claiming the lead by maneuvering around the outside of his former teammate at Turn 10 to grab the inside line into Turn 11 and cross the checkered flag with Evans just half a second behind.
“What a race that was, that was great,” Bird commented after the race. “It means so much for everybody at NEOM McLaren. I think everybody can now see the progress that is slowly happening.”
Jaguar's Mitch Evans
With temperatures soaring, Dennis, running in third position, had to nurse it to the finish line while also fending off Wehrlein. This opened up an opportunity for Nissan’s Rowland who sliced by both drivers at the final corner and beat the pair in a three-way sprint to the finish line, with Wehrlein edging Dennis for fourth.
With local heroes Lucas di Grassi and Sergio Sette Camara finishing well outside the points, Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa managed to salvage sixth place.
Unfortunately, Cassidy’s crash and pain was Wehrmlein’s gain, with the German moving within 4 points of the Kiwi in the championship standings.
Evans sits in third with 39 points. In the team standings, Jaguar TCS Racing has been overtaken by TAG Heuer Porsche, 96 points to 61.
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
