Season seven of the FIA ABB Formula E Series will look different roster wise. Jaguar Racing announced Tuesday afternoon, Sam Bird will be joining the roster for the 2021 season. The announcement sees Bird leaving his current team Envision Virgin Racing, in which he has been a part of since the season one in 2014.
Sylvain Filippi, the Managing Director at Envision Virgin Racing, says they have the utmost respect for Bird and that the British driver has been a joy to work for.
“I know I speak for the entire team when I say Sam is one of the most likeable and decorated drivers in Formula E and, come mid-August, will leave us with the utmost respect and admiration,” Filippi said. “Being a founding member of this team like myself, I personally want to pay tribute to Sam for the excellent job he has done and for being a pleasure to work with over the years. Ever the professional, he remains just as committed and determined to end the season with Envision Virgin Racing on a high.”
As Bird leaves the organization, Filippi notes they are continuing to work on their season seven roster.
“Behind the scenes, we have been developing our season seven driver line-up and I’m excited to confirm that we will be revealing this in the coming days.”
Meanwhile, James Barclay, Jaguar Racing’s Team Director, is excited about the addition of Bird to their roster.
“On behalf of the entire Panasonic Jaguar Racing Formula E team and everyone at Jaguar we would like to welcome Sam to the family,” Barclay said. “Since the start of Formula E Sam has demonstrated that he is one of the very best drivers in the championship and we believe that together we will form a great partnership. With Mitch and Sam we believe that we have arguably one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid. With extremely close competition it is clear that to be successful in Formula E you need two drivers who can be competing for podiums at every race. We now have two proven race winners that are capable of enabling us to challenge for both team and driver championship titles next season.”
As Sam Bird gets set for his final few outings with the team at Berlin, when the season resumes next month, he looks forward to joining the team and being a new teammate for Mitch Evans.
“I am really looking forward to a new chapter in my Formula E career with Panasonic Jaguar Racing,” Bird said. “I have watched Jaguar’s growth and progress in the series and am very proud to be driving for an iconic British brand with such a successful racing DNA and joining an incredible list of drivers that have raced for the brand. I am incredibly hungry for success and I believe that together with Mitch we can achieve great things for the team and ourselves. I want to thank Envision Virgin Racing for everything we have achieved together and wish them well for the future. After Berlin, I can’t wait to test the Jaguar I-TYPE and be in the best place possible for season seven and beyond.”
The FIA ABB Formula E Series returns to action next month at the Tempelhof Airport circuit in Berlin, which will see three double headers. Those are scheduled for August 5 and 6, August 8 and 9, the final double header August 12 and 13.
